In October 2017, Donald Trump called the United States the largest consumer of opiates in the world and declared the state of emergency. His words are backed up by statistics: according to the CDC, roughly 64 thousand people died from opioid overdose in 2016.

Since 2001, the epidemic has cost the country more than a trillion dollars! And the costs and death rates are only expected to rise.

So, what did the Trump administration do to stop the crisis?

Actually, activists and care providers were complaining about the lack of action because no funds have been requested from Congress to combat the epidemic. Instead, the administration seems to be focused on cutting spending. But now, the president is finally ready to roll out the plan to tackle the problem. And we should say, it’s rather controversial.

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As Trump has recently revealed, his plan is to seek the capital punishment for drug dealers and roughen sentencing laws for drug traffickers. What is more, the president wants to go after health care workers who break the law. As the director of Domestic Policy Council says:

Surely, death penalty is a controversial issue. And getting to know the president’s plans, many were unsatisfied because they are similar to the plans that the dictatorships in China and the Philippines have.

Here are some of people’s reactions

It’s not the first time Trump wants to introduce capital punishment. Earlier, he also said that terrorist suspects and anyone who kills a police officer should receive the same treatment.

We’re looking forward to more details.