MEXICO’S REBUTTAL ON FENTANYL — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador harshly criticized Republican lawmakers introducing legislation to authorize the use of military force against Mexican drug cartels in an attempt to stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., Carmen reports. “It’s very irresponsible for these lawmakers that, for propagandistic purposes — because it’s worrisome what’s happening in the U.S., because many young people are losing their lives due to fentanyl — but it’s scummy to use that to say that Mexico is guilty,” López Obrador told reporters Thursday. Why it matters: The U.S.’ growing number of drug overdoses has quickly become a leading public health policy issue for lawmakers at the state and federal levels. More than 100,000 overdose deaths in 2021 — largely driven up by fentanyl overdoses — and over $100 billion in annual costs from opioid abuse have left the U.S. searching for policy solutions, including those that might address the problem’s global nature. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said last week he wanted to introduce legislation authorizing the U.S. president to use military force to destroy fentanyl-producing labs in Mexico. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) has already done so in the House. Without referring to them by name, the Mexican president Thursday called the lawmakers “bullies” and accused them of lacking principles. López Obrador nonetheless said he will continue cooperating with the U.S. on the issue because he wants to help. He also praised President Joe Biden for treating Mexico with respect and signing an executive order this week aimed at expanding background checks on prospective gun buyers. López Obrador said that 80 percent of the guns used by gangs in Mexico come from the United States. The Mexican president also took aim at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which ousted its Mexico chief over improper contact with lawyers of drug traffickers. “They fired him, and that’s the last thing we heard about it,” he said. Where fentanyl comes from: The fentanyl pills Mexican authorities have seized when dismantling labs are usually blue, while in the U.S., they’re all colors, López Obrador said. That’s proof to him that many of those pills enter the U.S. directly from other countries, not just via Mexico. Replacing fentanyl: López Obrador said Mexican scientists are looking into a possible replacement of fentanyl as a pain reliever for people who really need it so the drug can be banned. What the U.S. should do to fight fentanyl deaths: Take care of its youth, in the Mexican president’s view. “I believe they turn to drugs because they’re not satisfied, they’re unhappy, they’re alone, they’re missing love,” López Obrador said. He praised Mexican culture in which young people live with their parents longer than in the U.S. and suggested that American parents keep their kids at home longer and not expect them to move out at 18. WELCOME TO FRIDAY PULSE. Dizzy apes could be key in understanding how altered mental states affected the origins of the human mind, researchers believe. One way to study primates deliberately spinning? Having researchers try to spin themselves at the same speed, apparently. What future research will shake up health policy? Let us know at dpayne@politico.com and kmahr@politico.com. TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Ben Leonard about the mistake-ridden electronic health records system at VA medical centers and Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-Mont.) push to fix them, including renegotiating its contract with Oracle Cerner, the vendor that manages them.
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