Citing a Pew Charitable Trust issue brief – More Imprisonment Does Not Reduce State Drug Problems – released last year that found more imprisonment does not reduce state drug problems, the Alliance for Safety and Justice expressed support for state lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 3 to better address Ohio’s addiction epidemic and improve the health and safety of communities across the state.

The campaign will begin with a 60-second commercial during the Ohio State-Michigan and Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers football games, detailing the story of a Seville, Ohio father who lost his son to an overdose after receiving a felony conviction for low-level, simple drug possession.

Ahead of tonight’s Democratic Presidential debate in Los Angeles, advocates pointed to the State of California as a prime example of a state that has successfully implemented criminal justice reforms to reduce incarceration and improve public safety.