Taking a note from the Philippines, President Trump has once again stated his desire to enact the death penalty for drug dealers.
The statement was made during a White House event with governors across the country. He was asked to speak about fentanyl by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
Trump said in response, “If you notice that every country that has the death penalty has no drug problem. They execute drug dealers. 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.”
Certainly a utilitarian way of looking at the issue.
Trump is most likely referring to the Philippines, where President Duterte enacting a War on Drugs that led to over 12,000 deaths, all extrajudicially. There is capital punishment for drug trafficking in other asian nations like Singapore and Indonesia, but it has only been enacted a handful of times in those countries.
“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.”
We’ll see if something comes from this. Most likely, the result will be slightly harsher punishments for illicit drug traffickers on a federal level, which wouldn’t be the worst outcome.
