US President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to impose the death penalty for drug dealers, calling it a “very human” measure. He made the statement during a recent appearance, citing the statistic that drug dealers kill, on average, at least 500 people, not to mention the harm caused to many others.
Trump mentioned Asian countries like China and Singapore as models for drug control, stating that in places where drug trafficking is punishable by death, the problem of drug dealing does not exist, as dealers are executed. Although he is not certain if the US is ready to implement the death penalty for drug dealers, Trump emphasized that he is personally in favor of the measure.
Separately, the US President announced a drug prevention campaign targeting youth, which aims to warn them of the dangers of drug use. The ads will depict the devastating effects of drugs like Fentanyl on human health. His administration has commissioned some of the “best advertising agencies” for this purpose and plans to spend around $100 million to $200 million on the campaign.
Trump expressed his approval of the ads, saying that he has seen the initial versions and finds them to be “really scary.” He believes that if a youth sees these ads a few times, they will certainly not use drugs. He claimed that this campaign can help reduce drug use by half.
Earlier, Trump had also mentioned the tariffs imposed on Mexico, China and Canada as a means to combat drug smuggling more effectively. He reiterated his claim that Mexico has been ruled by drug cartels for years and during a press conference, he offered assistance to his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum.
On February 1, Trump had signed a decree imposing a 25% import tariff on Mexican goods, which he later delayed by 30 days on February 3. During this period, further negotiations are expected to take place in an effort to reach an agreement, according to Trump. Sheinbaum stated after a phone call with Trump that Mexico will strengthen its northern border with an additional 10,000 soldiers, while the US has committed to combating illegal arms trafficking.