President Donald Trump is once more selling his assist for executing individuals who promote at present illicit medicine, calling it a “very humane” coverage to forestall overdose deaths that he’s “ready” to implement.
He additionally ambitiously projected that his administration will minimize drug use within the U.S. by 50 p.c throughout his new time period by launching an aggressive promoting marketing campaign to warn Americans concerning the harms of substance misuse.
During a White House occasion with governors from throughout the U.S. on Friday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) advised Trump about his issues with fentanyl trafficking, to which the president responded by providing his excessive capital punishment proposal of following the lead of nations like China that impose the dying penalty on individuals concerned in promoting unlawful medicine.
While he mentioned he’s uncertain whether or not the U.S. as a complete is equally “ready” to maneuver ahead with the coverage, Trump inspired governors to push for it on the state-level.
“If you notice that every country that has the death penalty has no drug problem. They execute drug dealers,” Trump mentioned. “And when you think about it, it’s very humane, because every drug dealer, on average they say, kills at least 500 people—not to mention the damage they do so many others. But they kill large numbers of people.”
Of course, whereas fentanyl and artificial analogues are extra often exported from China to different nations than offered on the illicit market domestically, it’s unclear what knowledge the president is referencing when he claims nations that execute drug traffickers have “no drug problem.” Public details about drug use and overdose in China is restricted.
But Trump reiterated finally week’s occasion that “there are quite a few [countries]—many in Asia—where they have the death penalty. There’s no drug problem whatsoever.”
“They come to our country because we have much softer policy. We give them a slap on the wrist, and they kill a lot of people,” he mentioned. “So we are going to—I mean, I don’t know if our country is ready for it. I am ready for it: The death penalty if you’re dealing drugs.”
Meanwhile, the president mentioned his administration might be launching a $100 to $200 million public service announcement marketing campaign to discourage drug use that sends the message that “when you take certain drugs, the drug fentanyl… it destroys your skin, it destroys your teeth, it destroys your brain, it destroys everything.”
“When some young kid is sitting down watching this commercial a couple of times, I really don’t think they’re going to be taking drugs,” Trump mentioned. “This is a big statement, but I think we can drop [drug use by] 50 percent by doing this.”
Trump equally promised to launch a large advert marketing campaign to deal with illicit drug use throughout his first time period, with the White House saying on the time it will be “multi-channel, reaching youth through digital platforms, social media, influencers, and television.”
This isn’t the primary time Trump has floated capital punishment for many who promote illicit medicine. But it’s a part of a discordant drug coverage platform that he’s developed, selling excessive penalties for sure drug-related prison exercise though he’s adopted pro-marijuana reform insurance policies and, a long time in the past, mentioned the nation ought to “legalize drugs” to win the warfare on medicine.
In 2023, Trump appeared confused when he was confronted with the truth that his proposed plan to impose the dying penalty on drug traffickers would have condemned a woman he pardoned and promoted for instance of a key prison justice reform achievement throughout his administration.
That girl, Alice Johnson, has since been named by Trump as his decide to serve a new role in his administration as “pardon czar.”
Johnson acquired a presidential commutation from Trump throughout his final time period in 2018 whereas serving a life sentence associated to cocaine trafficking fees. Trump later issued Johnson a pardon in 2020.
“Alice was in prison for doing something that today probably wouldn’t even be prosecuted. She spent 22 years in prison,” Trump mentioned. “She had another 22 years left. Can you believe it? And I pardoned her, and it was one of the best pardons.”
The president’s newest remarks on his dying penalty for drug trafficking place comes within the background of a number of top-level cupboard nominations and Senate confirmations of administration officers with blended information on drug coverage reform, which advocates and stakeholders have been following carefully to see if Trump will push for marijuana coverage modifications.
For instance, Trump just lately nominated a vociferously anti-cannabis official to function the lead lawyer on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), drawing praise from prohibitionists.
While HHS underneath the Biden administration has already beneficial rescheduling hashish following a scientific evaluate, that course of has been delayed, elevating questions concerning the potential affect of recent administrative appointees.
HHS’s normal counsel is accountable for offering authorized recommendation, decoding regulatory insurance policies and overseeing litigation involving the company, amongst different roles, and so if Stuart is confirmed by the Senate he might be key in any future company interpretations of the Controlled Substances Act’s necessities in the case of marijuana’s scheduling standing.
By distinction to the HHS normal counsel nominee, the just lately Senate-confirmed secretary of HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was beforehand vocal about his assist for marijuana legalization.
Despite that said assist, nevertheless, following his affirmation Kennedy mentioned final week that he’s “worried about” the normalization of high-potency marijuana and that he feels its use can have “really catastrophic impacts” on people, however that state-level legalization can facilitate analysis into its harms and advantages.
The feedback got here on the identical day that Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) mentioned he acquired a dedication from Kennedy to “follow the science on the harms of marijuana.”
Ricketts had already disclosed earlier this month that he spoke to Kennedy concerning the the “importance” of “preventing the expansion of marijuana.” Now he says “RFK committed to me that he would follow the science on the harms of marijuana.”
Despite Kennedy’s historical past of advocating for hashish legalization, he mentioned final month that he’ll defer to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on marijuana rescheduling in his new function.
That may complicate rescheduling. This month, Trump officially named his pick to lead DEA—deciding on a decades-long company veteran and high Virginia official who’s voiced issues concerning the risks of marijuana and linked its use to greater suicide danger amongst youth.
Separately, anti-marijuana Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) advised Marijuana Moment just lately that it’s “definitely” time to have a chat with Kennedy to convince him that “marijuana is harmful” and that the way in which to make Americans wholesome is by “limiting” its use.
Prior to Kennedy’s written responses to members of the Senate Finance Committee that gave him preliminary approval, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) pressed him to reiterate his position on marijuana legalization amid the continued effort to federally reschedule hashish.
A political motion committee based by former Vice President Mike Pence had tried to undermine the affirmation Kennedy as HHS secretary—partly by drawing attention to his support for marijuana and psychedelics reform, in addition to his private historical past with substance misuse.
Senator John Fetterman Circulates Petition To Legalize Marijuana At The Federal Level
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.
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