WFMJ | Mike Gauntner
A bill that would establish harsher penalties for people dealing drugs around addiction recovery facilities is getting support from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
The Attorney General announced that he’s backing Senate Bill 55 which had its second hearing on Wednesday.
Bowling Green Republican Senator Theresa Gavrone modeled the legislation after current law that increases penalites for certain drug offenses that occur near schools and juveniles.
“Too often drug dealers are waiting in the parking lot or across the street so that they can give or sell drugs to addicts to make sure they continue to be customers,” said Gavarone. “Encouraging a person to seek help for their addiction is difficult, let alone seeing a person on the road to recovery be met with the temptation to relapse.”
Yost says the law would help protect those seeking recover when they are most vulnerable.
“Drug dealers around treatment centers are like flies on honey,” said Yost. “They know they have a proven customer base.”