NPR

Trump wants the death penalty for drug dealers. Here's why that probably won't happen

The former president is pledging to wage war against Mexico's drug cartels if reelected in 2024. His plan includes pushing Congress to institute the death penalty for drug dealers and smugglers.
Details about Trump's proposed agenda are limited, but the former president outlined some of his plans in a ad on his campaign's official Twitter account.
Updated May 10, 2023 at 10:02 PM ET

Former President Donald Trump spoke to New Hampshire voters during a CNN town hall held at St. Anselm College in Manchester Wednesday night. Audience members asked how he would tackle issues like abortion, Second Amendment rights, immigration and more. But nobody brought up the opioid crisis plaguing the Granite State.

Two of New Hampshire's major cities, Manchester and Nashua, saw a spike in opioid-related deaths at the end of 2022, WMUR reported in January, a 41% and 37% increase respectively. Like other states that have historically struggled with the health crisis attributed to drug makers and distributors, New Hampshire is slated to receive tens of millions of dollars in settlement payouts--an estimated $310 million--in the next 20 years.

However, Trump does have a plan for addressing America's drug problems, even if he didn't discuss it Wednesday night: institute the death penalty for drug traffickers, smugglers and dealers. It's an approach in stark contrast with much of the world — it's also a violation of

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