Senate hears bill requiring developmentally appropriate, evidence‑based drug prevention instruction in K‑12

Senator Marcus Johnson, sponsor of Senate Bill 7, told the Senate Education Committee that the state needs to prioritize prevention to address Ohio's drug‑related mortality and rising youth drug use.

"Prevention is the key to getting ahead of this terrible problem," Senator Johnson said in sponsor testimony. He described the bill as requiring annual, developmentally appropriate instruction on the harms of drugs, including marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, e‑cigarettes and other drugs, and said the requirement would apply to students in both public and private schools.

Johnson said the Department of Education and Workforce, in collaboration with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, would be required to develop a list of evidence‑based curricula, materials, programs and instructional strategies that districts may use. He described difficulty in tracking how prevention dollars are spent across state programs and said his office footnoted data sources in the bill’s supporting material.

Johnson cited state and national statistics during testimony, including data he attributed to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing thousands of accidental overdose deaths in recent years and rising drug use among some youth cohorts. He said treatment spending has increased but that prevention efforts remain fragmented.

Committee members asked about the 61 percent figure Johnson referenced for an increase in drug use among eighth graders; Ranking Member Nathan Ingram asked the sponsor to provide the underlying data to the committee chair so members can review sources. Senator Laura Smith asked whether the bill would create difficulty for schools in distinguishing medical marijuana from recreational use; Johnson said medical marijuana "is supposedly prescribed and targeted, and completely different than what we're talking about here," and that youth marijuana use poses health risks.

Johnson said the bill allows local flexibility in how instruction is delivered but requires the state agencies to assemble and recommend evidence‑based options and metrics. He told the committee the last two decades have shown shifts in drug supply and harms and argued that a coordinated, evidence‑based prevention standard could reduce long‑term demand and deaths.

Senate Bill 7 received sponsor testimony and committee members asked for source data and clarification about reporting for private and charter schools; the committee did not vote on the bill during the first hearing.