COLUMBUS, Ohio - A bill that would re-classify penalties for drug users in Ohio could go to the full Senate for a vote this month.

People with felony records find when they walk out of prison, the door to getting a job is often slammed shut.

Ohio Senate Bill 3 sponsored by State Senator Sean O'Brien (D) and State Senator John Eklund (R) is meant to address obstacles and prison sentences for people who are low-level drug users.

The bill, which has bipartisan support, would reclassify minor drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors.   

"This current system can lead to a revolving door where people are caught in a vicious cycle when they get a felony, they can't get a job, go back to using drugs, and they're sent back to prison," said Senator O'Brien. "We are trying to punish the drug traffickers while helping people to get the help they need so they are not a burden on society, and they're able to be productive members of society. This way, the person has a better chance of joining their families again and not be drug dependent."

"The war on drugs that put more people in prison hasn't worked. Senate Bill 3 would give people a second chance; however, if the addiction also involves some hardcore crimes, and they have some violent activity, this is going to exclude them. But on the backside of it, it's going to hit twice as hard with a hammer the drug pushers, the drug dealers, and the people that are involved in that culture of promoting drug use. This bill is going to hit them with a freight train," said Republican State Senator Michael Rulli. 

Senate Bill 3 is in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where testimony by law enforcement is being sought, so there are no loopholes in the proposed law.

The proposed bill is expected to be sent to the full Senate, then make it's way to the Ohio House by the end of this month or early February.