Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has endorsed a proposed law that would increase penalties for aggravated drug trafficking near a community addiction-services provider.

State law already increases penalties for aggravated drug trafficking near a school or a juvenile.

Senate Bill 55 would do the same for aggravated drug trafficking within 1,000 feet of an addiction-services provider.

“Drug dealers around treatment centers are like flies on honey. They know they have a proven customer base,” Yost said in a press release issued today.

“This law will help protect those seeking recovery when they are their most vulnerable.”

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Daniel Raymond, deputy director of planning and policy for the Harm Reduction Coalition in New York City, has a different  perspective.

“There’s good research that shows that neighborhood crime is already lower in the vicinity of a drug treatment facility – in fact, when you add a treatment program to a community, crime (especially violent crime, but also financial crimes like burglary and motor vehicle theft) actually goes down,” Raymond said in an email to The Enquirer.

Yost sent a letter of support for Senate Bill 55 to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is reviewing it.

Heroin, fentanyl targeted

The law would enhance a felony charge of aggravated drug- trafficking, which is based on the kind and amount of drugs found, by one degree — up to a felony of the first degree – if it is done near a community addiction-services provider, Yost said.

He said the law would cover specific drugs that include heroin, fentanyl, fentanyl-related compounds, cocaine, LSD and hashish.

Reporter Terry DeMio contributed to this story.

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