EDUCATE DRUG OFFENDERS

Illegal drug use, unlike assault or robbery, its usually neither
malicious nor predatory. Drug offenses are typically born of
addiction -- an illness that treatment can bring under control.
Shunning those who have struggled with addiction is cruel and
counterproductive.

The case seems so clear it's hard to imagine anyone would shrug it
off. Unfortunately, Congress has: Since 2000, its Higher Education
Act has barred students with drug convictions from access to federal
financial aid.

So far, more than 160,000 students seeking federal aid have been
turned away because they had drug records. It's a foolish law: Ample
evidence shows that the surest shield against addiction relapse is a
goal-oriented life -- the kind college pretty much guarantees. That's
why addiction experts nationwide favor the ban's repeal.

Minnesota Rep. John Kline is perfectly situated to help arrange that
outcome. He's a member of the House Education Committee, which will
consider reauthorization of the Higher Education Act today. As
written, the renewal bill calls only for a partial repeal. Former
drug offenders would become eligible for aid, but students convicted
of drug crimes while in college would still lose it.

Coming from the land of 10,000 treatment centers, Kline surely knows
what happens when a student who dabbles in drugs is yanked from
school: As the prospect of graduation dissolves, the likelihood of
longtime incarceration escalates. And as the National Taxpayers Union
notes, a wholesale repeal of the ban wouldn't cost a cent.

How can Kline resist? A full repeal would advance justice, thrift,
public health and productivity. He should coax his fellow Republicans
to join him in burying the ban.