In a speech officially unveiling his administration's plan to combat the nation's ongoing opioid epidemic, President Donald Trump on Monday saod he would fight the crisis with "toughness", the creation of "very...very...bad commercials" aimed at children; andas expectedproposed that the death penalty be applied to drug dealers.
However, as drug policy reform advocates feared, he showed little understanding of the origins of the crisis and neglected to mention numerous measures public health experts have advocated for to stop the deadly epidemic.
A key tenet of Trump's plan to combat the crisis, which killed nearly 64,000 Americans in 2016, is to launch an advertising campaign showing the effects of opioid use.
"The best way to beat the drug crisis is to keep people from getting hooked on drugs to begin with," he told a crowd in Manchester, N.H. "As part of that effortso important, this is something I've been strongly in favor ofspending a lot of money on great commercials showing how bad it is."
The ads, Trump added, would be "very...very...bad commercials...And when they see those commercials, hopefully they're not going to be going to drugs of any kind."
Trump expresses support for anti-drug commercials aimed at kids to stop them from getting addicted to opioids: "That's the least expensive thing we can we do, where you scare them from ending up like the people in the commercials" pic.twitter.com/rIgUmRBMHL
BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) March 19, 2018
The proposal struck critics as similar to First Lady Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign of the 1980s, which has been denounced as "simplistic and vague" and which studies have shown did not make young Americans any less likely to use drugs.
Trump today called for "great commercials" that show kids "how bad" drugs are. As we explained recently, that strategy has been tried and hasn't worked. https://t.co/JSu2WDOjEo
The Upshot (@UpshotNYT) March 19, 2018
Scare tactics & Just Say No programs are not effective. Its better to equip our young people and parents with real information. https://t.co/GvZKxYyooI
Drug Policy Alliance (@DrugPolicyOrg) March 19, 2018
While Trump spent a large portion of his speech talking about keeping kids away from drugs, statistics show that Americans in their 50s and 60s are most at risk for overdosing on prescription opioidsa major driver of the overall crisis.
The prevalence of heroin abuse is of greater concern among younger Americans, but recent studies have shown that three-quarters of people who began using heroin in the 2000s abused prescription opioid painkillers first. Doctors have suggested that lax prescribing practices within their own profession continue to contribute to the opioid crisiscalling into question the notion that commercials would successfully steer Americans away from the drugs.
The president also linked the epidemic to immigration, urging Democrats to back his plan to "build the wall to keep the damn drugs out" and leading audience members in the chant, "Build the wall!"
But drug policy experts say that tougher border security would have little to no effect on the prevalence of drugs in the U.S.
"A wall alone cannot stop the flow of drugs into the United States," Christopher Wilson of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center, told Vox last year. "...history shows us that border enforcement has been much more effective at changing the when and where of drugs being brought into the United States rather than the overall amount of drugs being brought into the United States."
Critics also expressed shock at the president's proposal to seek the death penalty for drug dealersa plan that was hinted at last week. Trump has expressed admiration for Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's drug warwhich has resulted in the deaths of thousands, many in poor communitiesand the stringent drug policies applied by Singapore's government.
"We can have all the blue ribbon committees we want but if we don't get tough on the drug dealers we're wasting our time...and that toughness includes the death penalty," said the president.
The remark was condemned on social media by many, including drug policy experts, who have long said drug addition should be treated as a public health issue instead of a criminal matter.
Anyone casually invoking taking the life of someone needs to be put in time out, including the POTUS. If you are not willing to clearly articulate a precise definition for what counts as taking someones life for an action, you have zero credibility and should be treated as such.
Bryan William Jones (@BWJones) March 19, 2018
Text from govt health official:
Potus remarks are a full-on War on Drugs scare fest. Health policy staff are extremely disappointed by this divisive rhetoric, and his focus on actions that we know dont work.
Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) March 19, 2018
Had heard from health officials who were crossing their fingers that Trump would lay off death penalty language and focus on the many public health proposals in the plan.
(He didnt.)
Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) March 19, 2018
Read the original:
In 'Full-on War on Drugs Scare-Fest,' Trump Proposes Death ...
- Chasing the Scream | The First and Last Days of the War on ... - January 24th, 2017 [January 24th, 2017]
- The president of the Philippines admits his war on drugs has been dirty - The Economist - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- PDEA: Army to play support role in war on drugs - ABS-CBN News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Ruto camps in Mombasa, says war on drugs intensified - Daily Nation - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Words won't win war on drugs - The West Australian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Letter: The failed 'war on drugs' divides country - Rockford Register Star - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Congressmen: Let's take a new look at the war on drugs - AZCentral.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- War on drugs not war vs poor: Cayetano - ABS-CBN News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- President Duterte Threatens to Extend Drug War and Kill Korean ... - Newsweek - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Magufuli adds weight to war on drugs - The Herald - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Philippines: Duterte must end his "war on drugs" - Amnesty International - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Seares: Branding the war on drugs | SunStar - Sun.Star - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Opposition against President Duterte's war on drugs mounting: UN investigator - WION - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- WANG: War on Drugs requires smarter, more realistic approach - RU Daily Targum - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Shahbal to introduce tough laws to curb drug abuse - Daily Nation - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Trump Watch: Emboldened cops and border patrol agents, a more 'ruthless' war on drugs, and threats against the ... - Washington Post - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Palma: Church leaders will continue to oppose bloody war on drugs ... - Inquirer.net - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- In Trump's 'ruthless' vow, experts see a return to the days of the drug war - Washington Post - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- DERMODY: War on Drugs requires more than 'quick-fix' - RU Daily Targum - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Rights agency calls for sober talk in war on drugs - Daily Nation - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Mexico Should Ask Trump to Pay For The Drug War - AlterNet - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Trump on Drug War: 'We're Going to be Ruthless ... We Have No Choice' - CNSNews.com - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Why war on drugs fires up our soft political underbelly - The Standard (press release) - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- President Duterte Changes and Defends Philippine Drug War - Voice of America - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- War on drugs has left us with a latticework of crime - The Boston Globe - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Increasing opposition in Philippines to war on drugs: UN official - Reuters - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Unnecessary fighting south of the border: Mexico should ask Trump to pay for the drug war - Salon - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Trump Goes Full Nixon on Law-and-Order Executive Orders, Vows 'Ruthless' War on Drugs and Crime - AlterNet - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Death of a businessman: How the Philippines drugs war was slowed - Reuters - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- President Trump Signs Executive Order Ramping Up The War On ... - TheFix.com - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Sh170m heroin recovered in war on drugs at Coast - The Standard (press release) - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Duterte militarises the war on drugs in the Philippines - World Socialist Web Site - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- After war on drugs, it's 'war vs illegal gambling' for PNP - Rappler - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- President Trump Just Renewed the War on Drugs - MERRY JANE - MERRY JANE - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Duterte targets Philippine children in bid to widen drug war - Reuters - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Is Ending The War On Drugs A Panacea? - Modern Times Magazine - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Scott Pendleton: Civil forfeiture is an important tool in fighting the war on drugs - Tulsa World - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Donald Trump Vows 'Ruthless' War on Drugs and Crime - The Daily Chronic - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Simonson: The war on drugs - La Crosse Tribune - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- History of the War on Drugs - About.com News & Issues - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Trump goes full Nixon on law-and-order, vows ruthless war on drugs and crime - Salon - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Go whole hog in war on drug lords - The Standard (press release) - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Duterte's 'war on drugs' in the Philippines - Deutsche Welle - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- A man of God in the Philippines is helping document a bloody war on drugs - Columbia Journalism Review - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Reckoning with the Addict and the U.S. War on Drugs - OUPblog (blog) - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Duterte calls for stronger AFP support in war on drugs, terror - Inquirer.net - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- In Manila, Catholics March Against War on Drugs Tactics - Voice of America - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Losing the war on drugs - The Review - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Why we can't seem to end the War on Drugs | TheHill - The Hill (blog) - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Philippine's Rodrigo Duterte urged to drop charges against leading war on drugs critic - Telegraph.co.uk - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- HRW on war on drugs: PH needs 'international intervention' - Rappler - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Napolcom: Police need to regroup, rethink role in war on drugs - Inquirer.net - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Study: Mexican Military Should Not Have Intervened In Country's ... - Fronteras: The Changing America Desk - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- The 'War On Drugs' Has Been A Deadly Failure - Huffington Post Australia - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Senator fighting Philippine president's war on drugs charged without 'iota of evidence,' lawyer says - CBC.ca - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Thousands of Filipino Catholics march against death penalty, war on drugs - Reuters - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Our Aggressive "War on Drugs" Is Not Actually About Drugs - AlterNet - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- War on drugs: a failing battle against suffering - The Suffolk Journal - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Shots fired in war on drugs - Commonwealth Journal's History - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Ureport: WAR ON DRUGS NOT ABOUT PERSONAL FIGHTS - The ... - The Standard (press release) - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Philippines to defend Duterte's drug war at UN rights body - Reuters - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Hidden victims of war on drugs - The Phnom Penh Post - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Palace: Arrest order vs De Lima a 'fulfillment' of war on drugs - Inquirer.net - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Trump administration signals new war on drugs, crackdown on marijuana use - ThinkProgress - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Opponent of Duterte's drugs war arrested in Philippines on drug charges - Reuters - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Philippine citizens protest Duterte's drug war on anniversary of dictatorship overthrow - Deutsche Welle - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- How Rodrigo Duterte's War On Drugs Looks In Colombia - Worldcrunch - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Dela Rosa hopes PNP can focus on drug war anew - Banat - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Philippine police say ready to return to war on drugs as dealers return - Reuters - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Our View: White House plan reignites wasteful war on drugs - Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Engaging With The War On Drugs In Ubisoft's Wildlands Documentary - TheSixthAxis - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- There's one last big-ticket item on Trump's agenda: A war on drugs - Raw Story - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- No need to relaunch war on drugs: Duterte aide - ABS-CBN News - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- The Junkie and the Addict: The Moral War on Drugs - Harvard ... - Harvard Political Review - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Duterte orders return of police to war on drugs - ABS-CBN News - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Yasay: Flak on war on drugs, De Lima arrest just 'partisan politics' - ABS-CBN News - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Duterte brings back police into war on drugs - Banat - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Philippine president to bring police back into war on drugs - Reuters - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Bands I Pretended to Like for Boys. Part Ten: The War on Drugs ... - TheStranger.com - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Donald Trump Drug War Strategy | National Review - National Review - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]