This is a continuation of the ineffective War on Drugs that hasn’t worked for the last 50 years and won’t work now. Research has repeatedly shown that incarceration is not a deterrence of drug use and does not reduce arrests or overdoses. Instead, the War on Drugs has resulted in a severely racially skewed justice system, with people who are Black vastly more likely to be arrested and incarcerated, and more heavily affected by drug overdose deaths, particularly with Black men having the highest rate of overdose deaths in the state.
Ohioans don’t need more “messaging” and criminal punishment; they need practical harm-reduction help now. There are common-sense, proven solutions to beat this crisis, and our elected leaders can take steps today to respond and curb deaths.