Journalist Ricardo Hernández from Gatopardo magazine shared his most recent investigation on Aristegui en Vivo, revealing the difficult situation faced by children growing up in families with dysfunctional drug use. Hernández expressed that his focus is not to criminalize drug use in general, but to highlight a forgotten sector.
According to the data collected, in 2021 at least 12,000 minors lived in homes with problematic drug use in Mexico, and of these, 5,000 were directly affected by methamphetamine, the second most consumed illicit drug in the country and with the greatest impact on rehabilitation centers. However, it was clarified that these figures are only an approximation due to the size of the sample collected in the questionnaire, which represents only 16% of the individuals treated in youth centers.
In Mexico, thousands of children grow up in homes where problematic drug use destroys their family environment, an issue that has been ignored by the State and society. Since 2006, it is estimated that around 50,000 people have died from overdoses in Mexico, 2,000 of which were due to drugs, leaving approximately 40,000 orphans in the country.
"The State is not attending to them, does not consider them victims, nor does it provide specialized attention," denounced Ricardo Hernández. The impacts on these children range from babies born with intoxication and withdrawal syndrome due to their mothers' drug use during pregnancy to teenagers with suicidal ideations.
The lack of specialized centers to care for mothers with children undergoing rehabilitation and the lack of updated official statistics on drug use are other problems highlighted by the investigation. Additionally, the situation of overdose orphans and the scarcity of public options to care for minors with addiction issues were mentioned.
Israel, a 16-year-old who grew up in an alcohol-using environment and lost his best friend due to drug-related violence, is one of the examples shared by Hernández to illustrate the impact of this issue. The journalist emphasized the urgency for the State to act and provide attention to these minors affected by drug use and the lack of specialized resources.
This report is part of the Cambia la Historia program, a scholarship granted to 30 journalists from Latin America by the Deutsche Welle Akademie (DW) and Alharaca, with the collaboration of Gatopardo. Hernández concluded by highlighting the complexity of the situation and the imminent need for the State to intervene to address this issue and provide help to these vulnerable children.
