Trump to ask for tougher penalties for opioid trafficking — but no change in death penalty

Gregory Korte | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump pledges 'very, very strong' opioid policy President Trump announced that over the next three weeks his administration will be rolling out an opioids policy that will include stepped up actions against drug dealers, and lawsuits against drug companies. (March 1)

WASHINGTON — President Trump will ask the Justice Department to seek the death penalty for drug traffickers — but won't seek to change the law that allows capital punishment for drug traffickers only when they're convicted of murder, White House officials said Sunday.

But Trump will ask Congress to decrease the amount of powerful synthetic opioids necessary to trigger mandatory minimum sentences.

Those are the among the highlights of a plan to combat the opioid crisis that Trump will lay out Monday in New Hampshire, the state with the third highest rate of drug overdose deaths.

More: Congress prepares to take on opioid crisis amid evidence the epidemic is growing worse

More: Opioid-exposed babies at risk for developmental delays, study shows

The plan also calls for prevention, with a goal of reducing the number of opioid prescriptions by one-third over the next three years. The Trump administration hopes to accomplish that through changes in federal reimbursement rates and enhancing state prescription drug monitoring programs.

Trump had raised the possibility of the death penalty for drug dealers several times in recent weeks, saying he was inspired by executions in places like the Philippines, China and Singapore.

But White House domestic policy adviser Andrew Bremberg said Sunday that the Justice Department "will seek the death penalty against drug traffickers where it's appropriate under current law." He did not say what kinds of cases the president feels would be appropriate.

Bremberg said the president will also seek to expand access to drug treatment by lifting a restriction on Medicaid funding for drug treatment in hospitals with more than 16 beds. That change will have to come from Congress.