Federal Drug Policy Hardly Inconsequential

Dear Editor,

Regarding your Feb. 15 editorial (“”Strife Over FAFSA Aid Provision Remains Symbolic””), the actual number of students stripped of financial aid due to drug offenses is 189,065. To obtain state-by-state numbers, Students for Sensible Drug Policy teamed up with the American Civil Liberties Union and sued the U.S. Department of Education, after their Freedom of Information Act request was denied. I encourage you to check out their Web site. The number of students impacted is hardly symbolic.

Instead of empowering at-risk students with a college degree, drug provisions in the Higher Education Act limit career opportunities and increase the likelihood that those affected will resort to crime.

Speaking of crime, convicted rapists and murderers are still eligible for federal student loans. Most students outgrow their youthful indiscretions involving illicit drugs. An arrest and criminal record, on the other hand, can be life-shattering.

After admitting to smoking pot (but not inhaling), former President Bill Clinton opened himself up to “”soft on drugs”” criticism — thousands of Americans have paid the price in the form of shattered lives. More Americans went to prison or jail during the Clinton administration than during any past administration. As an admitted former drinker and alleged illicit drug user, President George W. Bush is also politically vulnerable when it comes to drugs.

While youthful indiscretions didn’t stop Clinton or Bush from assuming leadership positions, an arrest surely would have. The short-term effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared to the long-term effects of criminal records. Students who want to help end the cultural war otherwise known as the war on some drugs should contact Students for Sensible Drug Policy at http://www.SchoolsNotPrisons.com.

­—Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy