Pubdate: Sat, 24 Aug 2002
Source: Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register (WV)
Copyright: 2002 The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register
Contact:  http://www.intellnews.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1633
Author: Joselyn King

PETITIONS FILED TO HAVE DRUG SENTENCE REDUCTION PLACED ON NOVEMBER BALLOT

A proposed constitutional amendment in Ohio would lessen the penalties for 
certain drug offenses, and local boards of election report a large number 
of registered voters have signed petitions to put the matter on the Nov. 5 
ballot.

State Issue 1 would require treatment for certain drug offenders in lieu of 
incarceration. The current ballot language for Issue 1 states that if the 
measure is passed, the state would be required to spend $247 million over 
seven years to pay for drug treatment programs.

Nancy Moore, Belmont County deputy director of elections, said that office 
received 219 valid petitions regarding the matter and these contained 2,229 
valid signatures. There are approximately 42,000 registered voters in 
Belmont County.

In Monroe County, there are just under 10,000 registered voters. Petitions 
submitted there contained 437 valid signatures, explained county director 
of elections Margaret Hansen. A total of 92 petitions were received in her 
office, though 17 were declared invalid.

Elections board officials in both Harrison and Jefferson counties said they 
were continuing to work on verifying the names submitted to them on the 
petitions.

Rick Bear, deputy director of elections in Harrison County, said that 
county received "quite a few" petitions, but he did not have numbers yet 
available. Harrison County has about 11,000 registered voters.

"We have to have our numbers to the Secretary of State's office  by 
Wednesday, and we will be pushing it," said Diane Gribble, deputy director 
of elections in Jefferson County. "We're having a lot of trouble with them."

Jefferson County has 53,000 registered voters, and the office received 345 
petitions, she said.

The Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies groups has collected 779,728 
signatures on petitions to have the drug treatment measure put before 
voters on Nov. 5. This is almost double the number required by state law or 
355,422.

The Ohio Revised Code mandates that valid signatures representing 10 
percent of the total vote in the 1998 gubernatorial election be collected 
on the petitions.

The measure would permit the records of those completing such programs to 
be sealed and kept confidential. In addition, the maximum sentence for 
eligible first-time, second-time and certain repeat drug offenders would be 
limited to 90 days incarceration.

Judges would be required to order treatment instead of incarceration for 
first-time or second-time offenders charged with drug possession.

The offender would have to request treatment, have not been convicted of or 
imprisoned for a violent felony within five years of committing the current 
offense, have not been sentenced to a term of incarceration that would 
interfere with participation in treatment, and in the same proceeding, have 
not been convicted of or charged with other drug-related offenses or 
misdemeanors involving theft, violence or the threat of violence, according 
to the ballot language.
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