POLITICAL POSTURING BEGINS IN CAMPAIGN TO CHANGE DRUG LAWS

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio's highest profile political campaign this fall
may not involve a candidate directly but rather an issue: how to deal with
illegal drug use.

Supporters and opponents of a ballot initiative to require treatment for
nonviolent first- and second-time offenders signaled last week that the
campaign won't be a gentle one.

"If the governor is going to make our initiative the focus of his negative
re-election campaign, then we are going to make the governor the focus of
our campaign, and we're going to take it to him just like we are today,"
said Ed Orlett, a spokesman for the Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies,
speaking after a news conference last week blasting the drug initiative.

The campaign wants a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution on the
Nov. 5 ballot. It's backed by a trio of billionaires trying to change the
country's approach to dealing with illegal drug use.

Gov. Bob Taft, first lady Hope Taft and a host of other political leaders,
including some Democrats, oppose the plan.

They say it will weaken Ohio's current system, which involves a combination
of mandatory treatment and the threat of jail time to help drug users
overcome addiction.

Taft is helping raise money for Ohioans Against Unsafe Drug Laws, a
nonpartisan campaign committee fighting the initiative. Toledo Mayor Jack
Ford, a Democrat and former House minority leader, is a campaign co-chairman.

"We are just making it very clear that we think it's dangerous, we think
it's unsafe, we think it undermines our current treatment system," Taft
said at the news conference. "So we're going to fight it with everything
within our power, and we're going to defeat it."

Billionaires John Sperling - founder of the University of Phoenix - New
York philanthropist George Soros and Ohio insurance executive Peter Lewis
have spent millions backing ballot initiatives that they say collectively
amount to a referendum on the drug war.

Taft's own re-election campaign has yet to heat up, as the governor
maintains a wide lead over Democratic challenger Tim Hagan.

Earlier this month, the Ohio Poll, sponsored and conducted by the
University of Cincinnati, found that Ohio voters gave 55 percent of their
support to Taft, who is seeking a second four-year term on Nov. 5, while 32
percent gave their support to Hagan in his first run for statewide office.

Political analyst Melanie Blumberg said she believes voters are far more
interested in the economy and education issues this fall than the drug issue.

She pointed out that Taft is defying common political wisdom by taking a
prominent stand on an issue when he could easily sit back and do nothing
because of his high poll numbers.

"It could be he's trying to be assertive because there's been so much
criticism that he doesn't have leadership qualities," Blumberg said. "Maybe
he feels passionate about this issue and it's something he feels he can
take a stand on."

Taft's strong stance has nothing to do with his own political style and
everything to do with an issue he and the first lady have long been
concerned about, said Taft campaign spokesman Orest Holubec.

"I don't think an elected official with 98 percent name ID is concerned
about whether or not this will raise his profile," Holubec said.