Jump to content

Conservatives Should Be Loudly Against Trump’s Drug Dealer Death Penalty Plan


Draggingtree

Recommended Posts

Draggingtree
conservatives-loudly-trumps-drug-dealer-death-penalty-plan

Conservatives Should Be Loudly Against Trump’s Drug Dealer Death Penalty Plan

Bethany Mandel /  March 16, 2018 / 30 COMMENTS

 

At the Weekly Standard Haley Byrd is reporting:

Republicans in Congress appeared open to President Donald Trump’s proposal to use the death penalty to crack down on drug dealers on Thursday night before the expected release of the president’s long-awaited opioid plan.

Politico reported on Thursday that Trump’s plan to respond to the opioid crisis would involve stricter punishments for convicted drug dealers, including the death penalty for some. Federal law currently authorizes prosecutors to seek the death penalty as an option in drug-related murders, but CBS reported the administration is hoping to expand capital punishment for drug crimes by encouraging prosecutors to utilize it in cases of trafficking leading to fatal opioid overdoses.

As a pro-life, small government conservative, I find this plan not only chilling, disturbing, and wrong, but also completely antithetical to everything I believe.

I’m a conservative because I believe that the state should not be given an overwhelming amount of power over its citizenry, and the ability for the state to legally kill its citizens is perhaps the most disturbing expression of that power in our country. Men are not God, and the death penalty allows us to pretend as though we are.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cotton, Graham Introduce Bill to Raise Penalties for Fentanyl Sales

Paul Crookston
March 16, 2018

Sens. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) introduced a bill Friday to increase penalties for selling the fully synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The bill will stiffen punishments by reducing "the amount of fentanyl required for mandatory sentencing minimums to apply in distribution cases," according to Cotton's press release. The Arkansas senator said fentanyl’s damage to the U.S. makes the legal change necessary.

"Fentanyl has had a devastating impact on our country," Cotton said. "More than 20,000 Americans were killed by fentanyl last year, and overall drug deaths have nearly doubled in the past decade. It’s past time the punishment matched the crime when it comes to opioid distribution and trafficking."

Graham said fentanyl is especially dangerous, demanding traffickers face proportionate penalties.

"Fentanyl is one of the most deadly drugs on the market and I look forward to working with Senator Cotton to substantially increase penalties for those who traffic this horrific drug," Graham said.

"Increasing these mandatory minimums is well-justified," he added.

 

(Snip)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Draggingtree

No, The Death Penalty Does Not Stop Drug Trafficking

6 HOURS AGO Chris Calton

The Trump administration is continuing to raise eyebrows with its not-so-new approaches to longstanding problems. The most recent is the plan to “solve” the opioid epidemic by, among other things, introducing the death penalty in certain cases for drug dealers. While the death penalty may seem like a new tactic, it’s essentially just a continuation of the century-long pattern of the drug war: when the policies aren’t working, make them tougher.

There are some immediate objections one can think of to why the death penalty won’t be an effective deterrent, not the least of which is the fact that drug dealers are already willing to kill each other. But President Trump is citing the supposed successes of China and Singapore as justification for resorting to the death penalty. In a speech given in Pennsylvania, Trump said:

The only way to solve the drug problem is through toughness. When you catch a drug dealer you gotta put him away for a long time. When I was in China and other places, by the way, I said, Mr. President, do you have a drug problem? “No, no, no, we do not.”   :snip: :lmfao:

If the White House really wants to solve the opioid epidemic, the best thing they can do is to repeal the criminalization of heroin and other illicit substances. As I argued two years ago, legal heroin   :snip:   :lmfao:    https://mises.org/wire/no-death-penalty-does-not-stop-drug-trafficking

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • 1711653953
×
×
  • Create New...