COLUMBUS - Yesterday the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sent a letter to Senator John Eklund stating the organization’s suggested amendments to Senate Bill 3, legislation that seeks to change certain drug offenses. The ACLU of Ohio supports any efforts to improve Ohio’s criminal justice system, but has noted several ways to strengthen the legislation including: making retroactive and increasing eligibility for SB 3’s unclassified misdemeanor provisions, robust data collection and reporting, and removing the ability to incarcerate people for technical violations of community control sanctions.

The following statement is attributable to Gary Daniels, Chief Lobbyist for the ACLU of Ohio:

"The ACLU of Ohio is thankful for the current attention devoted to improving drug policy and the lives of countless Ohioans impacted by drug problems. SB 3 is recognition our decades-long approach to locking people up for substance use and abuse needs changed. That said, SB 3 is also a mix of positive, incomplete, and sometimes counterproductive policy. The ACLU of Ohio will continue to work to ensure SB 3 is as beneficial as possible."

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Read the letter to Senator Eklund.