Trump and Sessions Advocating Death Penalty in Name of the Drug War

Tell Congress: Stand Against Harsh Drug Penalties

President Trump just announced his plan for opioid addiction and the overdose crisis. He repeated calls for ever-harsher drug penalties and resurrecting disproven fearmongering campaigns aimed at youth – harmful policies with disastrous track records. He took his escalation of the drug war to a whole new level by calling for the death penalty for people who sell drugs. And Sessions just made it official with a memo telling prosecutors to seek the death penalty in certain drug trafficking cases.

Killing people in the name of the drug war is inhumane and unconscionable. And doubling down on the drug war by increasing prison terms for opioids and other drugs will just make the overdose crisis worse.

It’s time to expand harm reduction services and effective treatment, and implement proven measures like the establishment of safe consumption services, drug checking, syringe access programs, 911 Good Samaritan laws and evidence-based drug education.

As Trump and Sessions accelerate the drug war, we need you to fight back. Tell Congress to oppose failed policies that will make the overdose crisis worse and to adopt the solutions that will save lives.

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Your Message

Subject Embrace evidence-based drug policies

Dear Member of Congress,

Message Body

President Trump announced his long-awaited plan for opioid addiction and the overdose crisis. He reiterated calls for harsher drug penalties, increased law enforcement, and resurrecting disproven fearmongering campaigns aimed at youth, all of which are harmful policies that have failed to work. He said he supports the death penalty for people who sell drugs. And Sessions just made it official with a memo telling prosecutors to seek the death penalty in certain drug trafficking cases.

Killing people in the name of the drug war is inhumane and unconscionable. Ramping up the drug war by increasing drug arrests and prison terms for opioids and other drugs will just make the overdose crisis worse. Overdose deaths are preventable through public health investments, but we know that more law enforcement and harsh penalties don’t work. Congress has increasingly recognized the failings of harsh sentences for drugs, holding hearings on reforming punitive drug laws. Proposals that increase penalties for drugs are ineffective and a counterproductive approach to the overdose crisis.

In contrast to ineffective draconian policies, I urge Congress to prioritize evidence-based medication-assisted treatment and harm reduction measures like supervised consumption sites. By prioritizing these interventions, it is possible to dramatically reduce problematic opioid use and the number of deaths related to opioid use.

It’s shameful that Trump is putting even more lives at risk by doubling down on the drug war. While his plan includes some modest references to expanding access to the overdose reversal medication naloxone and medication-assisted treatment, these steps are not nearly enough to address the problem.

In addition to programs that educate people with honest information about opioids, harm reduction strategies and programs have a strong track record of improving the health of people using opioids and preventing overdose deaths. There are a wide range of well-established harm reduction practices. Some are as simple as enacting Good Samaritan laws that encourage people to seek help when someone is in distress without fear of punishment, and ensuring that people in the best position to reverse an overdose—people who use drugs themselves or their friends and families—have easy access to the overdose antidote medication naloxone.

Increasing access to evidence-based treatment and harm reduction would save more lives, and I urge Congress to prioritize these evidence-based policies and reject efforts to escalate the drug war.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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