A view worth repeating: Vote no on State Issue 1
Seldom does an issue appear before voters that generates widespread agreement that change is required and even broad consensus on the direction that change should take.
And that’s part of what makes State Issue 1 so dangerous.
Most of us can and do agree that the drug scourge sparing no Ohio community or culture must be confronted and resolved.
Most of us can and do agree that Ohio’s prisons are too full of those who need drug treatment.
Most of us can and do agree that too many lives are ruined needlessly because a prison record for drug possession gets in the way of gainful employment — and that time spent behind bars is more likely to lead to future criminal activity than helping to produce taxpaying citizens.
And most of us can and do agree that state-elected officials and the Ohio General Assembly have so far failed their responsibility to address these very real and pressing problems.
But putting what should be a legislative remedy into the permanent structure of an amendment to the state constitution is seldom a good idea, and it certainly is not with State Issue 1.
There are many good motivations to vote: to choose those who will fight for values and principles we hold dear, to provide resources for needed government action and to provide direction for resolving societal and economic issues.
But voting to vent frustration at government inaction is rarely the right reason to impose such an inflexible and restrictive solution as a constitutional amendment. Passage of Issue 1 would make it harder, not easier, for the state to deal with the equally critical issues of prison overcrowding and the need for more treatment for those addicted to drugs.
One of the more disturbing aspects of Issue 1 is its plan to shorten sentences of current prisoners by up to 25 percent if they participate in rehabilitation programs. Such decisions should be made case by case, not as an arbitrary mechanism to transfer prison expenses to drugtreatment programs.
Also troubling is that Issue 1 would take away critical leverage that judges now have to divert those with drug addiction into treatment programs rather than prison cells. Passage of Issue 1 would cripple the 170 drug courts set up across Ohio to steer those with drug problems toward life-changing help.
One thing good about Issue 1 is that its existence has gotten the attention of those empowered to take constructive action legislatively. Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof is working with Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien on alternative legislation to enact some of the provisions in Issue 1 without creating unintended consequences, such as eliminating incentives for treatment.
Ohio’s twin problems of overcrowded prisons and too much drug addiction with preventable overdose deaths are serious, and they deserve serious attention by our elected representatives.
The state is better served by voters rejecting Issue 1 and demanding action instead from legislators and whomever is elected Ohio’s next governor. Both Democrat Richard Cordray and Republican Mike DeWine and most every legislative candidate vows to resolve these problems.
Hold them to their word, but don’t hastily cast an ill-conceived solution in constitutional concrete. The Dispatch reiterates our strong opposition: vote no on State Issue 1.