12 Ohio counties approve levy hikes to address opioid crisis

Voters in 12 Ohio counties agreed this week to raise taxes to fund efforts to address the opioid epidemic (Source: “12 Ohio counties vote to raise taxes in fight against opioid crisis,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 10, 2017)

Thirteen counties put issues on the ballot to boost human services departments that have been devastated by the drug crisis. All but one approved the taxes: Voters in Jackson County, in Ohio's Appalachia region, rejected a 1.5 mill levy for children's services that would have raised $813,849 a year for 10 years.

Counties across Ohio are placing more children than ever into foster care because of their parents' addictions to opioids. And those children are staying much longer, as their parents struggle to recover.