Despite defeat, Issue 1 might stir change

State Issue 1 might have gotten hammered by Ohio voters Tuesday, but a compromise proposal inspired by it might well become law.

Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, said Wednesday that he hopes to file legislation before the end of the year seeking to downgrade some drug offenses and encourage treatment.

“I think it will be pretty significant,” Obhof said.

Issue 1 intended to reduce Ohio prison populations — particularly the number of inmates held on low-level drug offenses — and use the money saved to fund expanded drug treatment in a state that has been ravaged by an opioid crisis.

But influential critics said that amending the Ohio Constitution wasn’t the right mechanism, that the measure wouldn’t free as many people as promised and that it would have the unintended consequence of undermining the effectiveness of Ohio drug courts.

Those arguments seem to have carried the day. Despite the fact that its backers enjoyed a huge funding advantage, Issue 1 failed by 63 percent to 37 percent of the vote.

Obhof and other Issue 1 opponents rejected supporters’ claims that the legislature has failed to act to reduce incarceration for drug crimes and to effectively address Ohio’s opioid crisis.