Trump to unveil opioid plan that includes death penalty for drug dealers: White House

U.S. President Donald Trump will unveil a plan Monday to combat the opioid addiction crisis that includes seeking the death penalty for drug dealers and urging Congress to toughen sentencing laws for drug traffickers, White House officials say.

The White House plan will also seek to cut opioid prescriptions by a third over the next three years by promoting practices that reduce overprescription of opioids in federal health-care programs, officials told a news briefing Sunday.

Trump will outline his proposals at an event in New Hampshire, which has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic.

"The Department of Justice will seek the death penalty against drug traffickers when it's appropriate under current law," said Andrew Bremberg, director of Trump's Domestic Policy Council, in the briefing detailing the plan.

The White House did not offer any specific examples of when it would be appropriate to seek the death penalty for drug dealers and referred further questions to the Justice Department.

Trump raised the issue of using the death penalty for drug dealers at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month. He has repeatedly said individual drug dealers are responsible for thousands of deaths.

'This epidemic is a national health emergency'

7 years ago

Duration 0:38

U.S. President Donald Trump declares the U.S. opioid crisis a national health emergency