Jessica Taylor On Nov. 5, the people of Ohio will vote on an amendment to the Ohio Constitution that could drastically change the treatment of nonviolent drug possession offenders. Issue 1, the Ohio Drug Treatment Initiative, provides the option of treatment rather than incarceration for first- or second-time nonviolent drug offenders. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the highest rates of illicit drug use are found among college-age students, 18-25, increasing from 14.7 percent in 1997 to 18.8 percent in 1999. An annual survey of campus crime by The Chronicle of Higher Education cited the year 2000 as the seventh consecutive year in which arrests for narcotics law violations increased. Ohioans are drastically divided in their opinions on Issue 1. Until this week, opponents of the amendment have said Issue 1 requires the state spend $247 million over seven years on top of what is presently being spent. On Oct. 28, a report by the Taft administration said the program would cost $112.6 million. Walter Huber, assistant professor of political science, said voters should take their perspectives away from the financial precipitates of Issue 1. "At the end of the day, Issue 1 is a philosophical question," Huber said. "No one's asking the key question, Should we be putting first-time drug offenders in jail, or should we be giving them treatment?" "I would say, ask yourself whether you see drug use as a disease or a crime," Huber said, "and then vote appropriately." Although Issue 1 affects college-age adults more than any other group of citizens, it is urbanites and the elderly who tend to draw the largest numbers at the polls during an off-year election. That means people making the decision on Issue 1 are not the people most affected by it. Supporters of Issue 1 said the current "War on Drugs" has proven ineffective. Coalitions have been formed on both sides of the argument. The Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies stated that in Ohio, 7,500 people a year are charged with nonviolent felony drug possession and 6,300 of them are imprisoned. Supporters say imprisonment perpetuates drug addiction, while treatment focuses on the root of the problem. Ohioans Against Unsafe Drug Laws, a nonpartisan group against Issue 1, said the amendment is unsafe because it wipes the slate clean for drug offenders. This would result in unavailable drug history records for employers. The Ohio Prosecuting Attorney's Association said the amendment is expensive and wasteful. "The more Ohio commits itself to providing treatment for drug offenders, the more savings we will realize in prison costs and other social costs," said Ed Orlett, Issue 1 director. Orlett estimated the amendment could save the state between $210 and $240 million annually. "If we can cut off a person's addiction, we are reducing crime far more effectively than if we lock up the same person," Orlett said.
* http://www.state.oh.us/sos/2002Iss1Gen.htm * http://www.state.oh.us/sos/2002ProIss1.htm * http://www.state.oh.us/sos/2002AntiIss1.htm * http://www.ohiodrugreform.org/ * http://www.unsafedruglaws.org/ * http://www.cleveland.com/election/ * http://www.ohiodrugreform.org
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