STUDENT DRUG OFFENDERS DENIED LOANS

Maybe they think it improves studying. Whatever the case, surveys
consistently show that marijuana is widely smoked in American universities
and colleges.

But soon, many may think twice about getting high on the weed, thanks to a
new law requiring the US Government to stop giving education loans to
students convicted of drug crimes.

Starting tomorrow, federal authorities will deny or delay financial
assistance to students who have incurred penalties for drug offences
committed in the past year. As a result, thousands who pay as much as
US$30,000 (HK$234,000) a year for tuition, may be forced to abandon their
university studies.

It's a hazy issue, as marijuana laws vary across the country. Generally
though, as little as a fleck of marijuana ash can mean legal trouble.
Supporters say the plan sends a clear signal to students: Live clean and
you'll succeed. Opponents denounce the strategy, charging that it targets
the wrong people.

Historically, America has struggled with legislating behaviour. Attempts to
ban alcohol last century were futile while more recently, President Ronald
Reagan's anti-drug campaign "Just Say No" was mocked by students as futile,
as was President George Bush's "War on Drugs" a decade ago.

Though President Bill Clinton continues the programme, statistics show it
has basically failed. A recent government study found that despite years of
intensive anti-drug campaigning, marijuana use among high school students
increased in the past decade.

Congress approved the so-called "loans-for-stoners" law during an overhaul
of education laws two years ago. Opponents now dismiss the rule as
illogical because it applies only to students found guilty of drug crimes.

Those found guilty of murder or rape are not affected. "You single out drug
offenders, so apparently armed robbery is not as serious an offence," says
Democratic Congressman Barney Frank, a staunch opponent of the ban.

Many students, like Drug Reform Co-ordination Network organiser Steven
Silverman, say alcohol disrupts college life more than marijuana. "People
who smoke weed, they're not running around smashing things up," he says.
Others argue that the no-loans programme will hurt those who need aid most,
such as minorities and the poor.

The US Department of Education, which distributes about $52 billion a year
in aid to about 8.5 million people, is complaining about the bureaucratic
nightmare the new law has created.