AMENDMENT COULD CHANGE OHIO'S DRUG POLICY

Ohioans will have a chance to amend the state Constitution on Nov. 5 when
they vote on Issue I, a reform initiative to require treatment instead of
jail time for first-time, non-violent drug offenders. Supporters of Issue I
say it will saves lives and money for the state, and opponents argue it
ignores Ohio's system of treatment and justice for drug offenders.

The Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies is responsible for getting the
issue on the ballot, said Chris Abbruzzese, spokesman for the secretary of
state's office.

The campaign coordinator, Rob Stewart, said Issue I is a constitutional
amendment because only an amendment can appropriate sufficient funding to
make treatment work. The state would be required to provide $19 million in
start-up costs followed by $38 million annually for six years for court
management and treatment costs.

Issue I clearly excludes drug trafficking or distribution of drugs or
anyone charged with a violent crime, Stewart said. If passed, it would take
effect July 1, 2003.

The amendment would divert about 6,300 eligible offenders from
incarceration per year, according to data from the Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction and the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission.

Stewart said Issue I is designed to save taxpayers money.

"A year of incarceration costs $23,000 per offender," Stewart said. "A year
of drug treatment costs $3,500. For every person we put behind bars for
drug possession, we could have treated six people for drug use."

A total of $247 million would be spent over seven fiscal years but at the
same time would have an ultimate savings of $355 million. Ohio taxpayers
would save $108 million over seven years just from diverting people from
incarceration, Stewart said.

"We are investing money in treatment-because (drug offenders) can go to
school and get and hold down jobs," Stewart said. "The ultimate savings are
hard to calculate but even bigger down the road."

Opponents say Issue I limits how judges can deal with drug offenders.

Jenny Camper, campaign manager for Ohioans Against Unsafe Drug Laws, said
Issue I is flawed. "We feel it's unsafe and it's not needed in Ohio,"
Camper said. "It takes the current way we deal with drug offenders and
creates a system where offenders aren't held accountable in their treatment
programs by court sanctions."

Ohioans Against Unsafe Drug Laws is a nonpartisan coalition of tens of
thousands of Ohio citizens opposed to Issue 1 created earlier this year,
Camper said. Business, labor and medical and drug treatment communities
support the coalition.

Issue I mandates removal of drug offense records if offenders successfully
complete a drug treatment program, even for people with jobs that affect
public safety, Camper said. This effectively wipes clean previous drug
offense records, thereby making many offenders eligible for treatment as
"first-timers."

Ohioans Against Unsafe Drug Laws also oppose Issue I because it is a
constitutional amendment, which means it would be difficult to make changes
except by another constitutional amendment, Camper said.

Camper said much opposition exists because Issue I does not provide a
source of revenue for the $247 million that would be appropriated over
seven fiscal years in the state budget.

But Stewart feels confident the issue will pass in November.

"We believe when Ohioans hear Issue I saves not only lives but also money,
they will vote for it as a smarter policy for our current drug laws,"
Stewart said.

Carol Bessey, Ohio's deputy tax commissioner for tax policy, said the state
does not know how much taxes will increase for Ohioans if Issue I passes
because the Department of Taxation has not finished work on Issue I yet.
Figures should be available next week.