Mexican president says lack of 'hugs and embraces,' not drug cartels, to blame for fentanyl crisis

The president of Mexico says "a lack of hugs and embraces" are to blame for the ongoing U.S. fentanyl crisis, which kills tens of thousands of Americans each year.

"There is a lot of disintegration of families. There is a lot of individualism. There is a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces," López Obrador said, according to The Associated Press. "That is why [U.S. officials] should be dedicating funds to address the causes." Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

The remarks were the latest effort by the president to deflect renewed scrutiny in the U.S. on the role of Mexican drug cartels in bringing fentanyl, which is 50-100 times more potent than morphine and can be lethal in tiny doses, into the U.S. He can be reached at adam.shaw2@fox.com or on Twitter.