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Ohio’s Legislative Leaders Say They Will Consider Reforms For Drug Crimes
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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The Republican leader of the Ohio Senate says while he and many others didn’t support Issue 1, the criminal sentencing and drug treatment reform plan that failed Tuesday. But he suggests there is a will to make the issue a top priority in the newly elected Senate next year.
Senate President Larry Obhof says some of the components of Issue 1 were good. He says members are talking about reducing some felony drug charges to misdemeanors under certain conditions.
“One of the fatal flaws of Issue 1 frankly is, I think it would disincentivized people going to treatment but if we do this statutorily and we do it right, we can use it as an incentive to get people into treatment,” Obhof says.
Obhof says the plan could include some other elements of Issue 1. Republican House leader Ryan Smith says the legislature has already passed some drug reform measures designed to get users into treatment over jail and says members are willing to consider more.