wolfbat359
2018-03-12 18:26:57 UTC
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/12/death_to_drug_dealers_trump_threatens?utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_campaign=1f14ebb3e8-Daily_Digest&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-1f14ebb3e8-191201809
President Trump has reiterated his calls for the U.S. to impose the death penalty on drug dealers, praising countries like the Philippines, China and Singapore that apply capital punishment to drug traffickers. During a speech on Saturday, Trump recounted conversations with Chinese and Singaporean leaders who, he said, solved their countries’ drug problems by executing drug traffickers. Trump has also repeatedly expressed admiration for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and said he’s done an “unbelievable job on the drug problem.” Last month, the International Criminal Court opened a preliminary investigation into accusations that Duterte had committed crimes against humanity by overseeing the killing of up to 8,000 people in his so-called war on drugs. We speak to Widney Brown, the managing director of policy at the Drug Policy Alliance.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: President Trump has reiterated his calls for the U.S. to impose the death penalty on drug dealers, praising countries like the Philippines, China and Singapore that apply capital punishment to drug traffickers. This is Trump speaking in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Think of it. You kill 5,000 people with drugs, because you’re smuggling them in and you’re making a lot of money and people are dying, and they don’t even put you in jail. They don’t do anything. But you might get 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. You might get a year. But you’re not going to get—and then you wonder why we have a problem. That’s why we have a problem, folks. And I don’t—I don’t think we should play games.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: During his speech, President Trump recounted conversations with Chinese and Singaporean leaders who, he said, solved their countries’ drug problems by executing drug traffickers. Trump has also repeatedly expressed admiration for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and said he’s done a, quote, “unbelievable job on the drug problem.” Last month, the International Criminal Court opened a preliminary investigation into accusations that Duterte has committed crimes against humanity by overseeing the killing of up to 8,000 people in his so-called war on drugs.
AMY GOODMAN: This is not the first time Trump has called for executing drug dealers. Earlier this month, he made similar remarks during a White House summit on the opioid crisis. On Friday, The Washington Post reported the Trump administration is studying new policy that could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for drug dealers.
For more, we’re joined by Widney Brown, the managing director of policy at the Drug Policy Alliance. Her recent piece for The Hill is headlined “Trump’s call for death penalty is the wrong response to drug war.”
Widney Brown, welcome to Democracy Now!
WIDNEY BROWN: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about what Trump called for this weekend.
WIDNEY BROWN: Well, basically, he’s saying he wants to execute people who bring drugs into the country or otherwise sell drugs. The problem is, supply-side initiatives have failed. We have a war on drugs that started in the 1970s. If it was a success, we wouldn’t be having an opioid overdose crisis today. .....
President Trump has reiterated his calls for the U.S. to impose the death penalty on drug dealers, praising countries like the Philippines, China and Singapore that apply capital punishment to drug traffickers. During a speech on Saturday, Trump recounted conversations with Chinese and Singaporean leaders who, he said, solved their countries’ drug problems by executing drug traffickers. Trump has also repeatedly expressed admiration for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and said he’s done an “unbelievable job on the drug problem.” Last month, the International Criminal Court opened a preliminary investigation into accusations that Duterte had committed crimes against humanity by overseeing the killing of up to 8,000 people in his so-called war on drugs. We speak to Widney Brown, the managing director of policy at the Drug Policy Alliance.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: President Trump has reiterated his calls for the U.S. to impose the death penalty on drug dealers, praising countries like the Philippines, China and Singapore that apply capital punishment to drug traffickers. This is Trump speaking in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Think of it. You kill 5,000 people with drugs, because you’re smuggling them in and you’re making a lot of money and people are dying, and they don’t even put you in jail. They don’t do anything. But you might get 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. You might get a year. But you’re not going to get—and then you wonder why we have a problem. That’s why we have a problem, folks. And I don’t—I don’t think we should play games.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: During his speech, President Trump recounted conversations with Chinese and Singaporean leaders who, he said, solved their countries’ drug problems by executing drug traffickers. Trump has also repeatedly expressed admiration for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and said he’s done a, quote, “unbelievable job on the drug problem.” Last month, the International Criminal Court opened a preliminary investigation into accusations that Duterte has committed crimes against humanity by overseeing the killing of up to 8,000 people in his so-called war on drugs.
AMY GOODMAN: This is not the first time Trump has called for executing drug dealers. Earlier this month, he made similar remarks during a White House summit on the opioid crisis. On Friday, The Washington Post reported the Trump administration is studying new policy that could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for drug dealers.
For more, we’re joined by Widney Brown, the managing director of policy at the Drug Policy Alliance. Her recent piece for The Hill is headlined “Trump’s call for death penalty is the wrong response to drug war.”
Widney Brown, welcome to Democracy Now!
WIDNEY BROWN: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about what Trump called for this weekend.
WIDNEY BROWN: Well, basically, he’s saying he wants to execute people who bring drugs into the country or otherwise sell drugs. The problem is, supply-side initiatives have failed. We have a war on drugs that started in the 1970s. If it was a success, we wouldn’t be having an opioid overdose crisis today. .....