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Office of Alcohol, Drug, and Health Education

Local and State Law

The following is a brief synopsis of select laws. For detailed information on the laws of the State of Ohio, please consult the 1999 Ohio Liquor Laws and Rules (available in the Office of Alcohol & Drug Education, 105 Doane) or the Ohio Revised Code in the University Library.

Driving Under the Influence

No person shall operate any vehicle. . . within this state . . . if the person is under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or alcohol and a drug of abuse.

Open Container (Ohio Revised Code 4301.62)

Except where allowed by permit, no person shall have in the person's possession an opened container of beer or intoxicating liquor in any public place.

Underage (Ohio Revised Code 4301.63)

. . . no person under the age of 21 years shall order, pay for, share the cost of, or attempt to purchase any beer or intoxicating liquor, or consume any beer or intoxicating liquor, either from a sealed or unsealed container or by the glass or by the drink, or possess any beer or intoxicating liquor in any public or private place.

Misrepresentation (False ID) (Ohio Revised Code 4301.63)

. . . no person shall knowingly furnish any false information as to the name, age, or other identification of any person under 21 years of age for the purpose of obtaining or with the intent to obtain, beer or intoxicating liquor.

Illegal Drugs

Possession of any amount of cocaine (powder or crack), LSD, crystal methamphetamine, or heroin is a fifth degree felony, which carries a possible prison term of 6 to 12 months, up to a $2,500 fine, and a mandatory operator's license suspension of six months (minimum) up to five years.

Trafficking, which is possession for the purpose of selling, the actual selling of, or merely offering to sell drugs, carries the same penalties as Possession as listed above for any amount of those same controlled substances.

Convictions for drug-related offenses will generally make an individual ineligible for employment requiring special licensing, such as attorneys, physicians, nurses, aviation pilots, law enforcement, etc., as well as for industrial positions requiring some level of security clearance, such as engineering, computer and aerospace technology. Such convictions may also prevent the obtaining of many types of educational grants and other tuition assistance.