Trump seeks death penalty for drug dealers

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will present his plan today to combat an opioid abuse epidemic which will include seeking the death penalty for drug traffickers.

The Department of Justice “will seek the death penalty against drug traffickers, where appropriate under current law”, a White House official indicated Sunday whilst outlining the plan’s main points.

The official did not offer greater detail on how the death penalty could be invoked against drug dealers without amending statutes.

Trump is due to unveil his plan in a speech in Manchester, New Hampshire, a state hard hit by the crisis.

An estimated 2.4 million Americans are addicted to opiates, the narcotics that include prescription painkillers and heroin.

Nationwide, emergency room visits for overdoses from drugs like heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers are up 30% from 2016 to 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trump has previously mooted the “ultimate” punishment for drug dealers, and is said to have spoken in glowing terms about the policies of controversial Filipino leader Rodrigo Duterte, who has ordered extra-judicial killings of traffickers.

Many Democrats oppose the idea of executing drug dealers, and changing the law would require an act of Congress. – AFP