Sputnik: Would applying the death penalty to drug dealers be an effective solution to a drug crisis?
Ian Hamilton: I don’t think it will be effective, it’s political posturing really, we’ve seen this in the Philippines with President Duterte and this is basically trying to win the popular vote. We’ve got to remember how the opioid crisis started in the USA, and it wasn’t through illicit drugs, but through the over prescription of medical opiates.
Sputnik: What other solutions could there be for the US opioid epidemic?
Ian Hamilton: Trump has also endorsed the idea of rolling out substitute prescribing through healthcare and it’s encouraging to see that and this should really be the focus. When people become dependent of opiates, many of them will be wanting help and others will need to be persuaded and engaged into getting treatment, that’s where the focus should be, as Trump is proposing better access to healthcare and treatment.
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