In an effort to handle what he has stated as a “rampant drug smuggling and overdose death” problem in the United States, Trump has confirmed that new 25 percent tariffs will go into effect on March 4th against Mexico and Canada, with an additional 10 percent tariff against China. Despite a nearly 24 percent drop in fatal overdose deaths, there were still an estimated 61,393 opioid-related deaths in the 12 months ending September 2024. Throughout his campaign, Trump called for an end to the “drug epidemic” through harsher sentencing, and even advocated for the use of the death penalty, for drug dealers. History has shown that harsher sentencing and “crackdowns” on drugs and drug use are ineffective, furthering stigmatization and thus limiting access to treatment and promoting the issue rather than curbing it.
Following Nixon’s implementation of the “war on drugs” in 1971, New York introduced harsh sentencing in 1973, mandating a minimum of 15 years to life for dealers and users. These statutes, known as the “Rockefeller Drug Laws,” were the harshest drug-sentencing measures in the country. This new era of harsh sentencing led to a 1,216 percent increase in state prison populations for drug offenses between 1980 and 2008, which, since its inception, has adversely affected black individuals, who are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for selling drugs and 2.5 times more likely to be arrest for possessing drugs than white individuals.
In recent years, data has shown that there is no statistically significant relationship between state drug imprisonment rates and drug use, drug overdose deaths, and drug arrests. With the recent decrease in overdose-related deaths, increased access to medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder, and successes of harm reduction programs (such as naloxone, syringe service programs, safe consumption sites, etc.) the use of harsher sentencing as a tactic to fight drugs and drug use in the United States would be a major setback for the country.
Substance use, while including criminal aspects, should be viewed from a treatment lens, not a punitive perspective. History has shown that mandatory minimums, harsher sentences, and increased arrests do not curb the rate of overdose deaths, but have increased it. One study found that within one week of a “drug bust” local overdose deaths doubled due to users seeking supplies from unfamiliar sources. The United States simultaneously has the highest rate of incarceration, the highest rate of drug use, and the highest rate of drug-related deaths. Punitive approaches do not work and policy experts fear that Trump’s efforts could set the nation back in its attempt to address these issues. Should the United States revert to historically ineffective ways of addressing drug use, the exponential work that has been done could be nullified and the nation’s success in dropping overdose regress. With all of Trump’s latest actions, it is important that we not forget about the 48.5 million Americans who face addiction every day and could be greatly impacted by Trump’s punitive approaches.