Ohio Senate approves bill that would downgrade most drug possession felonies to misdemeanors
(WorldNews Politics)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After more than a year of debate, the Ohio Senate on Tuesday approved a sweeping criminal-sentencing reform bill that would reclassify many nonviolent drug possession felonies as misdemeanors. Under Senate Bill 3, most drug possession crimes that currently are a fourth or fifth-degree felony, which carry the possibility of prison time and the stigma of being a convicted felon, would be changed to misdemeanors. It also makes it easier for someone who`s been convicted of felony drug possession under the existing standard to have their record sealed, and allows courts to put an indefinite hold on a drug case if the defendant successfully complies with terms of...