An opioid epidemic may be looming in Mexico -- and the US may be partly responsible. Though opioid use in Mexico has been low, national and international factors are converging and a threat of increased drug and addiction rates exists. Many of these factors may have originated in the US, making this a potential joint US-Mexico epidemic. The authors of this analytic essay came to this conclusion based on a study of published academic literature, Mexican federal documents and guidelines, and news reports pertaining to opioid use in Mexico. Source 5o.