The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaumstated this Tuesday that the federal government will thoroughly analyze the legal and political implications of the United States’ decision to classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destructionwhile reiterating that the Mexican strategy against drug consumption is based on attention to the causes and not only on a punitive approach.
At his press conference the “People’s Morning”the president explained that the measure announced by Washington has two aspects—one that must become law and another via decree—so her administration is reviewing its scope in detail.
However, the president made Mexico’s position clear: Pursuing crimes and violence associated with drug trafficking is essential, but insufficient if the factors that cause consumption are not addressed.
“If the causes are not addressed, it will be fentanyl or another drug,” Sheinbaum warned, as he reiterated that the problem is linked to mental health, social detachment, the lack of opportunities for young people, as well as issues of family, education and values.
The head of the federal Executive also warned about the implications that this designation could have for the legal medical use of fentanylused as an anesthetic, and stressed the need to clearly distinguish between its clinical use and illicit trafficking.
When asked about the possibility that this decision reactivates approaches to United States military intervention In Mexican territory, the president pointed out that “sovereignty and territoriality are not up for discussion for any reason.”
On the other hand, Sheinbaum Pardo announced that next week the results of a national drug use survey prepared by the National Institute of Public Health, as part of the comprehensive strategy to confront the problem from a public health perspective.
On December 15, the US government, through an executive order, designated illicit fentanyl and its main chemical precursors as Weapons of Mass Destruction (ADM), considering that its production, trafficking and possible use represent a direct threat to US national security.
In the document, the White House indicated that just two milligrams of fentanyl — an amount equivalent to between 10 and 15 grains of salt — constitutes a lethal dose, and attributed the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people due to overdose in that country to this drug.
The order stressed that its manufacturing and distribution are in the hands of organized criminal networks, which it linked to armed violence, financing of terrorist activities and territorial conflicts.
