HB 88’s Sweeping Drug Penalty Changes Would Undermine Public Safety

HB 88 stands to make the most dramatic changes to Ohio drug laws in the last decade. These changes are economically reckless and won’t deliver public safety in return. Instead, the legislation would more than double the anticipated prison population growth, promising to strain state resources and result in overcrowded prisons and the associated high costs.

HB 88 would:

• Cost Ohio nearly $60M annually
• Overcrowd prisons with 1,500+ more beds
• Fail to increase public safety