Border Security, Trump, and Medical Marijuana in the Southwestern US

On Jan. 17, President Donald Trump tweeted about a “massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country” and reiterated his call for a wall to enhance security at the nation’s Southern border.

We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to help protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018

So, Marijuana.com decided to take a look at the drug situation at the border based on information compiled by two federal agencies tasked with monitoring it: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

CBP seized more than 2.14 million pounds of drugs at points of entry into the U.S. during FY 2017, according to the “CBP Border Security Report FY 2017” released by the agency Dec. 5.

The agency also noted an uptick in the amount of drugs smuggled into the U.S. through the mail — a method that can’t be mitigated through physical security at the borders.

“While most illicit drug smuggling attempts occur along the Southwest border, CBP has seen a growing threat of illicit synthetic drugs smuggled to…