ISSUE 1 SUPPORTERS COULD DECIDE TO BACK HAGAN

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Blaming Gov. Bob Taft for the apparent failure of
Issue 1 to gain support among Ohio voters, backers of the issue may be
ready to throw their campaign cash behind Democratic gubernatorial
candidate Tim Hagan.

Issue 1 would require Ohio judges to offer treatment rather then jail to
certain drug offenders. Polls indicate the proposed constitutional
amendment is likely to be defeated in the Nov. 5 election.

"If we can't pass drug reform in Ohio through the initiative process
because the governor's stacked the deck against us, it may make more sense
for us to try to change who the governor is," said Bill Zimmerman, head of
the Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies.

He said a decision on whether to shift the issue's television advertising
money to support of Hagan will be made after Tuesday night's first debate
between Hagan and the Republican governor.

"We have not received fair treatment in Ohio," Zimmerman said Monday.
"We've done initiatives all over the country and have not run into this
kind of corruption ... orchestrated by the governor personally or by people
representing the governor.

Taft supporters strongly disputed the accusations.

Taft campaign spokesman Orest Holubec suggested the money shift could
signal a deal between the Issue 1 backers and Hagan's campaign.

"We suspect this drug issue is a first step toward drug legalization. We
know our opponent supports legalization of marijuana for medicinal
purposes. We wonder what kind of a deal was cut between our opponent and
this campaign."

Hagan backed decriminalization of the medicinal use of marijuana in a
questionnaire by Project Vote Smart.

Issue 1 supporters have complained about what they charged is unfair ballot
language, manipulated by Taft and the Republicans.

The ballot language includes the total cost of the drug treatment, $247
million over seven years. Issue 1 backers did not object to the language
initially when it was approved by the bipartisan Ohio Ballot Board.

Zimmerman said the Issue 1 group has about $1.5 million remaining of its
budget. But the backers would not be limited to that amount in purchasing
television commercial time for an anti-Taft effort.

The money could be used to run targeted "issue advocacy" ads that could not
expressly advocate the election of Hagan but could attack Taft on issues.

Hagan's campaign has so far relied on billboards and Internet ads featuring
a cartoon duck, while Taft has been featured on a plethora of ads promoting
his efforts to rebuild schools and the economy.

Hagan spokesman Gerald J. Austin said he was unaware of the independent
committee money idea.

"I have no idea whether this would be helpful or harmful," Austin said.
"They're not consulting with us. I don't know what they're going to say.
This is a strange season."

Curt Steiner, a spokesman for the Issue 1 opponents, said that if
Zimmerman's group chose to run ads for Hagan, the move would backfire.

"I think it's unfortunate that they would do this," he said. "It's been
very disingenuous and disappointing for them to attack every single person,
organization, editorial board or what have you that comes out against Issue
1 as somehow being under the thumb of Bob Taft. It's ridiculous."