STIRRING POT TALK

Regarding P.R. Taylor's excellent column on the Higher Education Act's
denial of student loans to youth convicted of drug offenses ["What's Dubya
Smoking?", May 2]: President George W. Bush would not be in the White House
right now if he had been arrested and denied student loans due to his
"youthful indiscretions." Let's not kid ourselves. Bush's bizarre waffling
on the subject all but confirms past illegal drug use. Then again, anyone
born into a wealthy family need not fear the impact of the Higher Education
Act. Instead of empowering at-risk students with a college degree, HEA
limits career opportunities and increases the likelihood that those
affected will resort to crime.

The hypocrisy of the drug war is glaring. Alcohol poisoning kills thousands
annually, while marijuana is not physically addictive and has never been
shown to cause an overdose death.

In Europe, the Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by
replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation. Drug policy reform may
send the "wrong message" to children, but I like to think the children
themselves are more important than the message.

ROBERT SHARPE
Lindesmith Center/Drug Policy Foundation
Washington, D.C.