(AP) — Advocates of criminal-sentencing reform in Ohio are pulling their support for a bill after lawmakers added an amendment that would toughen penalties for people convicted within 1,000 feet of a drug-treatment center.
Cleveland.com reports that the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Ohio chapter of Americans for Prosperity said Thursday they are no longer supporting the bill that would reclassify most low-level felony drug possession crimes as misdemeanors.
The new language in the bill does not require officers or prosecutors to prove a person knew they were in proximity of a treatment center.
The advocates say this goes against the premise of the bill.