The US president wants to execute drug dealers as part of his plan to combat addiction. Trump will also ask Congress to lower the minimum quantity of drugs sold that triggers mandatory prison sentences. Dealers spared the death penalty would face stiffer prison sentences under Trump’s proposal. Opioid-related hospital visits rose 30 percent from 2016 to 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier in March. Trump’s plan directs his Justice Department to prosecute doctors, pharmacies and opioid manufacturers that break the law and calls for increased research and development through public-private partnerships with other manufacturers of the drugs.

Source: Egypt Independent March 19, 2018 11:03 UTC