So let¡¯s say the U.S. labels Mexican drug cartels terrorist organizations, like so many Republicans are demanding. Let¡¯s say it deploys ¡°cyber warfare¡± and missile strikes against its kingpins, declares war against the cartels and sends troops across the border, whether the Mexican government agrees or not. Then what?

Here¡¯s what: Fentanyl keeps killing Americans; in 2023 more than in 2022; in 2024 more than in 2023. You can follow the trend.

The war on drugs has always been, at best, a pointless approach to the nation¡¯s epidemic of substance abuse. More likely, it has exacerbated the crisis, pushing traffickers into more powerful and lucrative, narcotics with which to lure vulnerable Americans into addiction.