POT BAN UNPRODUCTIVE

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- President Bush, in a move that angered students on
college campuses throughout the country, is enforcing a law created during
the Clinton administration that denies federal financial aid support for
students convicted of possession or sale of controlled substances like
marijuana and cocaine.

The law, created in 1998 as a part of a bill that restructured federal
spending on postsecondary education, disqualifies students from receiving
grants, loans and work assistance a year from the date of a drug
conviction. The law was officially enacted three years ago, but former
President Bill Clinton softened enforcement during his term in office.

Through his war on drugs, Bush is enforcing a law that sends mixed messages
to former drug users and those seeking higher education.

First, Bush's decision to enforce the law gives the impression that other
crimes, like sexual assaults and murder, fall into a less serious category.
Convicted murderers can qualify for federal financial aid and so can sex
offenders, but drug users cannot.

Second, enforcing the law punishes former users who have sought
rehabilitation and are struggling to lead a normal life, which includes
obtaining an education. As a strong advocate of giving drug users a second
chance, I believe the government is robbing the individuals' right to
education and a better life.

College students have good reason to be angered by the enforcement of a law
that undermines American youth and deprives students from receiving
financial aid. After all, studies done across the country indicate that a
large amount of college students use drugs.

The kicker to the war on drugs is that it's not working. Today's young
adults are experimenting like their predecessors once did.

Bill Clinton and his infamous "I never inhaled" response to smoking pot
when he was a youth still haunts the baby boomer generation, exemplifying
the theory "do as I say and not as I do." Perhaps that's the reason Clinton
loosely enforced the law.

Bush's attempt to punish students for experimentation is no more than a
hypocritical attack on individuals who are restoring their lives by seeking
higher education.