MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 06: President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks during the daily morning press briefing at Palacio Nacional on November 6, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico. The briefing adressed the attack on the LeBaron familly that resulted in the death of three women and 6 kids. (Photo by Pedro Martin González Castillo/Getty Images)
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico, is speaking on the fentanyl crisis that continues to sweep across the United States, and he says the blame lies squarely on a lack of “hugs and embraces” among families.
According to AP News, López Obrador’s commentary was delivered on Friday amid critiques of Mexican cartels’ role in the crisis, which causes about 70,000 overdose deaths across the U.S. each year.
However, instead of putting the blame on these organizations, the politician turned the focus onto the “disintegration of families” among Americans. He also cited “a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces.”
“There is a lot of disintegration of families, there is a lot of individualism, there is a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces.”
López Obrador continued, noting that U.S. officials “should be dedicating funds to address the causes.”
In spite of these comments, the DEA notes that fentanyl is “being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemicals sourced largely from China.” Two organizations in particular—the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Cartels—are also called out for being “primarily responsible for the fentanyl that is killing Americans today.”
The agency refers to fentanyl as “the deadliest drug threat facing this country.” While some users specifically seek out fentanyl, the narcotic is also often pressed into fake pills or mixed into other drugs like heroin and cocaine. As a result, unwitting users can easily ingest fatal doses of the substance.
We should also add that the effects of fentanyl overdose can be reversed with Narcan (naloxone).
Additionally, as the epidemic wages on, AP News reports that various state lawmakers across the country are looking to implement harsher penalties for people caught possessing fentanyl.
What do you think about Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s commentary regarding the “disintegration of families” in the U.S.?
