Drug trafficking
Mexican anti-drug ad featuring Philly addicts shows US has become ‘cautionary tale,’ says critics
The ads angered some who noted that most fentanyl in the U.S. comes across its border with Mexico. But others pointed to criminal justice reforms championed by Democrats.
November 18, 2022 2:58pm
Updated: November 18, 2022 9:03pm
The Mexican government’s decision to use video of open-air drug users in a troubled Philadelphia neighborhood in a national anti-drug ad campaign shows the U.S. is the new “cautionary tale” for drug smuggling and addiction crisis, say critics.
Unveiled by the Lopez Abrador administration last week, the ads show drug users milling about or shaking among trash strewn streets alongside warnings about drug addiction. The state and area are not identified but they can be through transit signs in the videos as Kensington, an embattled neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia.
La Campaña vs las Adicciones del @GobiernoMX busca informar a los jóvenes de los daños que provoca a la salud el consumo de drogas químicas. La información y la participación de la familia y de la escuela son importantes factores de protección vs las adicciones. ¡Infórmate! pic.twitter.com/A8MkptVqHG
— Jesús Ramírez Cuevas (@JesusRCuevas) November 8, 2022
The ads angered some who noted that much of the fentanyl in the U.S. comes across its border with Mexico. But others pointed to criminal justice reforms heralded by Democrats.
On Fox News “The Five,” host Greg Gutfield said it should be Americans that point out how “bad” Philadelphia, not foreign governments.
"It says something now that our country is a cautionary warning," he said during the Tuesday segment. "I don't see a way out until we have legal alternatives for our own oblivion."
Gutfield also dismissed those concerned about some in the videos had not granted consent to be filmed, saying the addicts shown should accept responsibility for their behavior in public.
“The Five” co-host Katie Pavlich added that those in Philadelphia, who voted heavily for Democrats in the midterms, had the power change course but refused to do so.
Kensington was once described as the nation’s “largest open air drug market” by Dr. Mehmet Oz during his gubernatorial campaign, where he argued that Democratic policies are “farming homelessness” in Pennsylvania’s urban areas.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner was impeached by the state’s Republican-led House on Wednesday, citing what they called his lax approach to crime.
There have been 460 homicides in Philadelphia this year so far, a 5% decrease from 2021, according to the city's Office of the Controller. There were 562 homicides in 2021, a 13% increase from 2020.
