ASHLAND – Several local officials and community leaders are raising their voices in opposition to State Issue 1, the group announced in a press conference Tuesday. 

The press conference was hosted by Ashland County Prosecutor Chris Tunnell. Other participants included Ashland Municipal Court judge John Good; city law director Rick Wolfe; Loudonville, Hayesville and Jeromesville solicitor Thom Gilman; county commissioner Jim Justice; county sheriff E. Wayne Risner; Village of Mifflin police and fire chief J.J. Bittinger; state representative Darrell Kick; Fostering Family Ministries director Sherry Bouquet and Bethel Baptist Chuch pastor John Bouquet.

Richland County officials have a similar opinion. Judge Brent Robinson has organized a community town hall meeting on Oct. 16 to discuss similar concerns.

Ashland Police Chief Dave Marcelli was scheduled to take part was unable to attend because his department was engaged in a standoff situation Tuesday afternoon. 

Issue 1, which will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot, is a constitutional amendment that would reclassify drug possession as a misdemeanor, regardless of the substance or quantity. It would also require sentencing reductions of up to 25 percent for all crimes with the exceptions of murder, rape and child molestation if the offender participates in rehabilitative, work or educational programming.

“You could literally have a barn full of marijuana, truckloads of heroin, enough fentanyl to kill everyone in the country, and that’s going to be a misdemeanor in the state of Ohio,” Tunnell said. 

Tunnell said while he believes it is healthy to have debates about drug policy and the best methods of drug treatment, he believes those debate should happen through the legislative process and not through a constitutional amendment. 

“Whatever the outcome of that debate is, it should be put through in a manner that can be fixed if there are flaws,” Tunnell said. 

Ballot language

If passed, Issue 1 would:

  • Require sentence reductions of incarcerated individuals, except individuals incarcerated for murder, rape, or child molestation, by up to 25% if the individual participates in rehabilitative, work, or educational programming.
  • Mandate that criminal offenses of obtaining, possessing, or using any drug such as fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, and other controlled substances cannot be classified as a felony, but only a misdemeanor.
  • Prohibit jail time as a sentence for obtaining, possessing, or using such drugs until an individual’s third offense within 24 months.
  • Allow an individual convicted of obtaining, possessing, or using any such drug prior to the effective date of the amendment to ask a court to reduce the conviction to a misdemeanor, regardless of whether the individual has completed the sentence.
  • Require any available funding, based on projected savings, to be applied to state-administered rehabilitation programs and crime victim funds.
  • Require a graduated series of responses, such as community service, drug treatment, or jail time, for minor, non-criminal probation violations.

Good referred to the proposed amendment as “a dumping of responsibility from the state to local government” and as “a gutting of the criminal justice system” that would turn law enforcement into catch and release agencies and courts into jokes. 

“Possessing fentanyl will not carry a jail sentence. Littering will. Fishing without a license will. But fentanyl will not, if this passes,” he said. 

Good emphasized his belief that drug offenses are not victimless crimes and said jail is often the first step to drug treatment for the people who come through his court. 

“I know there are people in this community that are alive today because I put them in jail, and I’ve got 60-plus letters on my desk from parents begging me not to let their kids out of jail because they know they will overdose on heroin,” he said. “That jail is such an important part of the treatment program in Ashland County, and this takes that away.”

Sherry Bouquet said two thirds of children in foster care in Ohio are there because of drug issues in their families, and she predicted the number of Childrens Services cases could rise is the amendment passes. 

“This issue affects offenders, potential offenders, children, grandparents that are raising their grandchildren and our community as a whole,” she said. “To see that this can be engineered by an outside force to purport that it would be speaking for the voice of Ohio and the heart of our families and children is unconscionable, and we need to be willing to step up and say no.”

Tunnell said he and many of the others who took part in the press conference will be at the Ashland County Fair next week to provide literature and answer questions about the amendment.

He also said the he is willing to talk to groups in the community to share more details about the ways in which the amendment would impact law enforcement and the criminal justice system locally. Ultimately, Tunnell urged voters to read the full text of the amendment and decide for themselves. 

What's the impact of our reporting?

The Community Development Section is dedicated to reporting on the intersection of the private sector and public funding, economic development efforts, and community engagement. We want to know what impact our reporting is having. Please complete this short survey.

"*" indicates required fields

Have you done any of the following as a result of a community development story published by Richland Source?*
Please select all that apply.
If you made a decision or took action, which of the following apply?*
Please select all that apply.
What is the primary emotion this story triggered?*

If so, please provide your name and contact email in the box below. We will only contact you about this project.

Community investment made this reporting happen. Independent, local news in Shelby and Northern Richland County is brought to you in part by the generous support of Phillips Tube Group, R.S. Hanline, ArcelorMittal, Lloyd Rebar, Hess Industries, and Shelby Printing.