HPIO has released Connections Between Education and Health No. 4: School-Based Drug and Violence Prevention and Mental Health Promotion. As thousands of Ohioans struggle to recover from opiate addiction, policymakers are increasingly aware of the importance of stopping addiction before it starts. Many school-based drug prevention approaches also improve other outcomes of interest to policymakers and educators such as:
- Increased on-task behavior, school engagement and high school graduation
- Decreased school behavior problems and disciplinary incidents
- Decreased depression, anxiety and suicide
- Decreased school violence and bullying
This fourth and final policy brief in HPIO’s Connections Between Education and Health series focuses on policies and programs that support foundational protective factors for children, such as health literacy, impulse control, communication skills, school engagement and opportunities for positive social involvement including:
- Prevention education
- Social-emotional learning and positive behavior programs
- School climate improvement initiatives
The brief describes the extent to which Ohio is implementing these approaches and presents policy options to improve education and health outcomes through school-based prevention.
Kasich Signs Bill Stiffening Fentanyl Penalties
Ohio Gov. John Kasich has signed a bill that increases penalties for drug trafficking and some other drug offenses when the drug involved is a fentanyl-related compound (Source: “Gov. John Kasich signs bill increasing drug penalties involving fentanyl,” Dayton Daily News, Aug. 2, 2018).
The law could add as many as eight years to sentences of drug offenders convicted of serious crimes involving drugs containing fentanyl. Increased penalties wouldn’t apply if the defendant didn’t know a compound contained fentanyl. When a fentanyl-related drug conviction is connected to a homicide conviction, the law would require that prison sentences for each conviction run consecutively. Gov. Kasich signed Senate Bill 1 on Wednesday and the law will go into effect after 90 days.