The November election is more than three months away. But there is action ongoing with the issue that’s likely to be the most expensive ballot question in state history – a proposed law that would force the state to only buy drugs at a discounted price.
The group backing Issue 2 has filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission, demanding that the opposition reveal its donors. But Dale Butland with the “no” side says it’s no secret pharmaceutical companies such as those listed on its website are funding the charge against the “yes on 2” campaign. “They want to distract attention from their own failing campaign so they filed this baseless complaint,” Butland says of the Ohio Taxpayers for Lower Drug Prices group.
Dennis Willard speaks for the “yes on 2” group, which filed the complaint. “I don’t think it’s a distraction that drug companies are hiding how much money they’re giving," Willard says of the Ohioans Against the Deceptive Rx Ballot Issue.
The “no” side does not have to disclose individual contributors, but drug makers Amgen and Biogen have admitted donating more than $7.7 million.
