The Drug Policy Alliance's opposition to a drugged-driving bill in Ohio has effectively killed it. Alliance members and supporters sent dozens of faxes opposing the bill to state senators. Ed Orlett, the Alliance's representative in Ohio, worked tirelessly to inform members of the news media and the Ohio Senate about the bill in hopes of striking it down. Orlett will continue to monitor and oppose any re-appearance of the bill as written. This great victory follows one earlier this year in which we successfully knocked the bill off of the Senate's spring hearing agenda.

Ohio's proposed drugged-driving bill was bad for several reasons. Current tests can only detect the presence of drugs in someone's system -- not the amount or how long ago the drugs were used. It could have resulted in the targeting of medical marijuana patients, people who attended a concert and were in close proximity to marijuana smokers, or people who eat poppyseed bagels -- each of which could trigger a positive drug test. Another area of concern with the bill was its steep cost, which would have added to the existing $2 billion state budget deficit.