Banners purportedly from Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel say the gang has sworn off sales of fentanyl.
From AP: MEXICO CITY (AP) — Banners appeared Monday in northern Mexico purportedly signed by a faction of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel claiming that the gang has sworn off the sale and production of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
But experts quickly cast doubt on the veracity of the claim, saying that fentanyl — which has caused tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States — remains one of the cartel’s biggest money makers.
Prosecutors in Sinaloa confirmed that the banners appeared on overpasses and near roadways but could not say whether they were authentic or who had hung them up.
The machine-printed banners purportedly signed by the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman claim they have prohibited the sale or production of fentanyl in the northern state of Sinaloa. The sons are known as “the Chapitos” after their famous father.
I agree with Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He said there is concrete evidence that “Sinaloa is the biggest producer of fentanyl in Mexico” and that there has been no sign the cartel is moving away from it.
As the article says later, in fact the Sinaloa cartel is moving away from plant-based products to synthetic drugs as they can be manufactured year-round and at much lower cost (following a big pharma model).
The primary issue from my POV, is the demand signal the cartels get from their American consumer. When cocaine and “standard heroin” are not enough…The cartels take advantage.
Concerning the demand signal, when was the last time you saw or heard of a don’t use drugs campaign? DARE? Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It started in 1983 and it’s still around but I had to look it up.
Now we try and make sure the user is safe. Needle exchanges, safe use houses, free Narcan, Fentanyl tests….
It looks like we’ve given up on helping people move past the need to use.
What would you suggest, to reduce the demand for illicit drugs in America?