The president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador This Saturday, he assured that Mexico has a “moral obligation” to participate in the fight against fentanyl in the United States.

For his part, the President of Colombia Gustavo Petrostated that the so-called “war on drugs” policies imposed by the United States have failed.

During Closing of the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on DrugsThe first president to use his voice was López Obrador, who stated the following:

“We have a moral obligation, and out of humanity, to participate in the fight against fentanyl consumption in the United States.”

He added: “They are facing a pandemic, this is not just a quantitative issue, it cannot be said that 100,000 young people die each year due to fentanyl use and turn away and say we don’t care. We must act humanely and understand that despite our differences (…), human rights exist.”

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid. It is 50 times more powerful than morphine and is responsible for the worst drug crisis in US history, where more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses last year.

Thus, the administration of American President Joe Biden seeks closer cooperation with Mexico and Chinacountries that he considers exporters of this drug, stop its flow.

According to the Biden administration, The Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartels produce fentanyl. in clandestine laboratories using chemicals and cosmetics that they legally purchase in China and then transport and distribute in the United States.

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In this sense, López Obrador assured this Saturday that the idea is not to eliminate fentanyl, because “if there is consumption, it means that something is wrong in this society, because fentanyl can disappear and another substance will appear, equally harmful or even worse“.

He concluded by mentioning that Latin American and Caribbean countries will strive “through their own investments as well as through investments from international financial institutions.” more support for rural productive activitiesto “replace marijuana, poppy and coca plantings.”

Likewise, Mexico’s president believes that to combat the “scourge of drug addiction and violence,” we must address primarily “reasons with a new criterion, and not just think about coercive measures“.

“We must put forward the criterion that peace is the fruit of justice, We must first fight poverty, inequality“To confront the problem of violence, we must offer jobs, good wages, serve young people, guarantee them the opportunity to study and work,” he concluded.

Mexico and Colombia become victims of drug trafficking: Petro

Then Gustavo Petro emphasized that Mexico and Colombia become victims of drug trafficking not the offenders. “For 50 years they have pointed to us as criminals,” he said.

Latin America has spent half a century paying attention to the drug war guidelines emanating from the European Union (EU), the UN and the United States, without questioning them and in the “silence” that “was an accomplice to genocide” on the continentsaid the President of Colombia.

“The policy called ‘war on drugs’ has failed, it is useless, if we continue it we will only add another million deaths in Latin America.”

“We are afraid to say that you, who have the majority of consumers of these drugs, You are not right“The alleged Peter at the closing of the Latin American and Caribbean Drug Conference held in Cali.

Petro, who insisted that the traditional war on drugs that the US launched at the end of the last century had failed, said: “Our silence during these 50 years was an accomplice to genocide in our countries because the official policy of the war on drugs in our Latin America has led to genocide.”

“Today, as expected, the policy dynamics called the War on Drugs, implemented in the US 50 years ago, have transferred to the EU and therefore to the United Nations. made all Latin American societies victims of its consequences.“Petro said, emphasizing that one million people died on the continent because of this failed war.

With this in mind, he called on Latin American countries to take positions “without fear” because The goal is for “Latin America to speak for itself rather than repeat the discourses of world powers.”

“Don’t let them come and blame us,” Petro, with allegiance to the United States, said of fentanyl production.

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Petro cited the economic principles of reducing demand for substances so that the price would fall: “To reduce drug trafficking, we must reduce demand.”

And also about psychology: “What is the antidote to drug use? Love”.

This is because “societies in which love ends”In capitalist societies that “compete” for success, where “society” prevails, demand increases.

(according to information from EFE)