Logan County’s top law enforcement officials and Bellefontaine Municipal Court Judge Ann E. Beck are joining a growing chorus of criminal justice leaders who believe Issue 1 is bad policy.
“I strongly oppose it,” Bellefontaine Police Chief Brandon Standley said.
“Regardless of where you’re at on the marijuana issue, this is much more than that.
“We can never legalize drug trafficking and that’s exactly what this would do. It would give traffickers a hand up.”
Judge Beck agrees.
“If this passes, you have to have to possess 20 grams or more of fentanyl to be charged with felony,” she said. “You could have 19 grams, which is enough to kill 10,000 people, and face misdemeanor charges.”
Under the ballot initiative, judges would have to give the offender probation which would put the dealer “right back on the streets,” Judge Beck said.
“All I can do is put them on probation and offer treatment, but if they don’t comply, there’s nothing I can do about it.
There is no teeth in this at all.”
“I’m all in favor of people getting rehabilitation,” Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds said. “But there is nothing there to hold them accountable.
“Most people can’t do it on their own. They need someone to hold their feet to the fire.
“If this passes, I think we’ll see an increase in property crimes and theft.”
According to Ballotpedia.org, Issue 1, known as the Drug and Criminal Justice Policies Initiative would:
• make offenses related to drug possession and use no more than misdemeanors;
• prohibit courts from ordering persons on probation for felonies be sent to prison for non-criminal probation violations;
• create a sentence credits program for inmates’ participation in rehabilitative, work or educational programs; and
• require the state to spend savings due to a reduction of inmates, resulting from Issue 1, on drug treatment, crime victim and rehabilitation programs.
Judge Beck, Standley and Dodds all are skeptical any funding will trickle down to rural communities to support rehabilitation.
The amendment would simply further burden local communities with more jail overcrowding and heavier caseloads, they said, and take away from programs such as the family drug court which is helping people overcome addiction.
The judge supported establishing the drug court with $100,000 from drunk driving conviction fees after she determined she legally can do so.
“It is working and working well,” she said.
“Families often look to the courts for help,” she said, “and one way we can help is prison or jail time.”
Time off the streets can help person clean up and begin to see the damage they’re doing to themselves and their families, the judge said.
“They (offenders) thank me when they get a chance to get clean,” she said.
Currently, her court handles upward of 11,000 cases a year. If Issue 1 passes, it will add as much as 800 new cases, leading to an expansion of her court staff.
Her two probation officers currently oversee 200 offenders on probation.
All three question the outside support for the ballot initiative. Nearly all of the campaign money has come from outside Ohio.
Supporting Issue 1 are the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Ohio Justice & Policy Center, Ohio Transformation Fund, Alliance for Safety and Justice and Open Society Policy Center.
The Ohio Safe and Healthy Communities Campaign has received $4.86 million to support the issue. Open Society has given $1.5 million while the Chan Zuckerberg Advocacy and Open Philanthropy Project Action Fund have chipped in $1 million apiece. Tides Advocacy has donated $500,000 and more than $104,000 in in-kind services, while Black Fork Strategies LLC has provided $300,000.
There is no registered campaign opposing the issue, according to Ballotpedia.org.