SAY NO TO DRUGS

Why would college students think they can break the law and still be
eligible to get financial aid to pay for school?

Students from several New England colleges gathered at Hampshire College in
Amherst, Mass., recently to ponder the law and talk about why they think
that punishment doesn't fit the crime.

Under the law, financial aid can be withheld from a student for one year
after conviction on a drug charge. A second offense would cost a student
aid for two years, and a third conviction for possession may result in
indefinite eligibility.

Eligibility also can be revoked if applicants refuse to answer whether
they've ever been convicted of a drug offense.

The students at Hampshire College say they believe the penalty is too
severe. Some say that their drug use isn't hurting anybody and that more
serious crimes aren't punished by aid revocation.

The federal government is making the message loud and clear: Students who
want help paying for their education should pursue learning with clear
heads and not with hazy minds polluted with pot and other substances.

Financial aid is not an entitlement. There ought to be reasonable
expectations for applicants to receive money that has been collected from
the taxpayers for the purpose of education.

Taxpayers are entitled to the government's effort to make sure their money
isn't being wasted on students who are getting wasted.

They have the right to make sure their dollars are being used wisely and
effectively on those who obey the law and take their minds seriously.