Ohio Senate Bill 204 came into effect on September 13, 2016. This law changes the prior law regarding drug crimes in Ohio and the mandatory driver’s license suspension that came with a drug offense conviction. Formerly, R.C. 4510.17 required a mandatory 6 month driver’s license suspension for a drug offense in Ohio, regardless of whether the offense including the use of a vehicle or not.

The new law permits courts to exercise discretion in regard to whether to impose a driver’s license suspension when the drug offense did not involve the use of a vehicle. Moreover, courts are now permitted to reinstate a previously suspended driver’s license if the drug offense did not involve a vehicle.

Senate Bill 204 was introduced to the senate by Senator Bill Seitz and to the house by Representative Dorothy Pelanda. Senator Seitz told the Columbus Dispatch that:

“There are hundreds of thousands of people in Ohio with suspended driver’s licenses for drug convictions, and that makes it difficult for them to find gainful employment, and therefore, in my estimation at least, more likely that they would return to a life of drugs as a means of support.”

So, how will this work in practice? Prior to Senate Bill 204, if a person was convicted of minor misdemeanor possession of marijuana, the court was required to suspend the person’s driver’s license for 6 months. Whether the offense involved a vehicle was irrelevant. With the new law in effect, that same person will not be facing a mandatory driver’s license suspension in Ohio. Instead, the court now has the discretion to not impose a driver’s license suspension provided the offense did not involve a vehicle.

However, this new law does not automatically guarantee that courts will not continue to suspend a person’s driver license for a drug offense. The law simply gives courts the discretion not to. It is still important that you hire an experienced criminal defense attorney if you are charged with a drug offense in Ohio.

Columbus and Delaware, Ohio Drug Attorney

If you have been charged with a drug offense in Columbus or Delaware, Ohio, contact Attorney David Johnson at Johnson Legal, LLC to discuss your case. An experienced and knowledgeable drug defense attorney in Columbus and Delaware, Ohio can help you fight the charge and achieve the best possible outcome. Call Johnson Legal, LLC at (614) 987-0192) or send an email to schedule a consultation with Attorney David Johnson.

Johnson Legal, LLC serves the following cities in the central Ohio area for drug defense:

Westerville, Worthington, Columbus, Polaris, Reynoldsburg, Grandview Heights, Shawnee Hills, Bexley, Pickerington, Gahanna, Sunbury, Powell, Upper Arlington, New Albany, Dublin, Hilliard, Lewis Center, Galena, Clintonville, Huber Ridge, Blacklick, Grove City, Delaware, Marysville, Groveport, Newark, Canal Winchester, Obetz, Marion, Pataskala, Franklin County, Morrow County, Licking County, Union County and Delaware County