No on HB 230
We are supporting a new issue area based on harm reduction in Northeast Ohio. The goal is to create a system of care that isn't reliant on police and prisons to solve issues. Part of that work includes advocacy against harmful legislation that often results in more Black and poor people being imprisoned, harmed and even killed by police.
The Freedom BLOCs vision includes abolition and a world where community is the go to. Not police. We can get there, but we need your help to build it.
We know from experience that people who use and sell drugs do so to fill either an economic or emotional need. We need solutions rather than creating and supporting systems that create the circumstances for people to make choices that either harm themselves or our communities.
HB 230 would make it more difficult for us to build a world without police and will only increase the amount of Black folks in prisons in Ohio. We need your help to stop it.
Djuan, opponent testimony for HB 230 has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 25th at 11am. Will you please draft your testimony (instructions below) and submit it to the committee chair by 11am Tuesday the 24th. If folks can go in person that would be ideal, if not written testimony is still very meaningful. Below are instructions, talking points, and more. Feel free to reach out if there is any other help I can offer.
HB 230, would create a mandatory five-year prison sentence for drug dealers found to be responsible for a fentanyl-related overdose death and boost penalties for drug trafficking charges. It would also harmfully expand the definition of human trafficking and raise the penalty to a first-degree felony.
We know that harsher penalties result in crowded prisons and increased overdose deaths. We need care, not criminalization.
Next Steps
Step 1: Download and fill out this witness form.
Step 2: Write your opposition testimony. A few paragraphs is fine. The committee appears to be very moved by personal stories if you feel comfortable sharing yours.
Step 3: Email your witness form and testimony to the following email address, rep75@ohiohouse.gov by 11am Tuesday the 24th.
Main Themes to Touch On:
Increased penalties do not serve as a deterrent and do not reduce overdose deaths.
There is no empirical evidence that drug induced homicide prosecutions save lives. Analyses of drug-induced homicide practices in jurisdictions in New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina, Illinois, Louisiana, and New York, found that despite dramatic growth in drug-induced homicide prosecutions, all of the jurisdictions experienced significant increases in overdose deaths, ranging from 7.6% to 20.1% in a single year. Source
Ohio is third in the country for Drug Induced Homicide prosecutions and fifth in the country for overdose fatalities, showing that harsher prosecution does not reduce death.
Ohioans need real solutions to the overdose crisis. Share with legislators about what you think we need. You can pull inspiration from this roadmap we helped to draft.
