Mexico president says to present constitutional reform banning fentanyl consumption
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday he will present a constitutional reform to ban consumption of chemical drugs such as fentanyl.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has pressured Mexico to devote sufficient resources to help stem the flow of the illegal drug fentanyl into the United States.
Thee rate of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl more than tripled in the U.S. from 2016 through 2021.
Lopez Obrador said the constitutional reform is one of the initiatives he plans to present to crack down on consumption in Mexico.
"It is going to be prohibited, yes, severely, in the case of these drugs that are harmful. In six months, young people can lose their lives," Lopez Obrador said in a regular news conference.
Mexican authorities have previously denied the country is a producer of fentanyl.
(Reporting by Valentine Hilaire; editing by Cassandra Garrison)
