EDITORIAL ON STUDENT AID SHOWED WRONG THINKING

The Bellingham Herald editorial opposing student aid cutoffs for
students convicted of drug offenses was correct on only one count.
The ruling should follow the congressional mandate to the letter and
should not be administered based on bureaucratic whim. Beyond that,
the editorial was wrong for at least three reasons.

Student aid is a finite resource, provided by society, and should be
dispensed to those most likely to benefit themselves and society from
it. Statistics show that motivated, unimpaired students are far more
likely to successfully complete a rigorous academic program than drug
users.

While alcohol abuse (the editorial's whipping boy) may be a campus
problem, alcohol use per se by older students is not illegal;
controlled substance use is. Penalizing those engaging in criminal
behavior is society's way of attempting to discourage such behavior
and develop respect for the law of the land.

Drug use is an epidemic that undeniably increases crime, strains
society's social fabric and destroys lives. Reducing exposure of
non-drug users on college campuses to those who use and/or sell drugs
is, if there were no other reason for the law, sufficient
justification for its existence.

J. Michael Stephenson

Bellingham