STUDENTS CONVICTED OF DRUG OFFENSES SHOULD NOT GET AID

Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, LSD, crystal meth: Use them and
kiss your financial aid goodbye. And for those of you reliant on aid
to attend college, you can kiss that degree goodbye as well.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, federal law now
suspends federal student aid eligibility for any student convicted of
possessing or selling illegal drugs during his or her enrollment, as
a part of the Higher Education Act.

Outraged? How dare they? Shaking your fist at the American
government? Then you're probably not going to like what I'm about to say.

I personally have no problem with this policy. In fact, I kind of
like it. You break the law by doing or selling drugs, you must pay
the consequences of your actions. Is this part of the "war" to keep
kids from doing drugs? Probably. And to that I say, "Right on federal
government, right on!" If you choose to ruin your life by doing or
selling drugs then why should it be on the government's dime? It shouldn't.

Here's a thought: How about instead of buying drugs, you buy your own books?

This isn't like, "Well, this one time I tried pot and now I can't get
financial aid." Most of the time, people who get caught are not first
time offenders. They are frequent sellers and/or users. So, I'm
sorry, but I don't feel bad if you lose your aid because you got
caught breaking the law.

Who really is the victim here? There are thousands of students who,
for whatever reason, do not receive financial aid. I happen to be one
of them. I have spent my time here paying my own way. I pay my
tuition, my books, my car payment, my cell phone, etc.

And the only reason I don't pay rent is because my mom decided to let
me live at home for free to help support me through college. But I am
far from rolling in the cash. It really would be nice if the
government could pay for me to go to college.

Maybe then I wouldn't have to work so much and I could focus more on
my studies. But the reality is, I have to work. The reality is, I
don't do drugs and I don't receive financial aid.

Plus, offenders aren't banished from college or even from receiving
aid. If a student truly wishes to make up for their wrongdoing and
regain their aid, they can by completing a rehabilitation program
that includes random drug tests.

"In the majority of cases, students retain their eligibility,"
Education Department spokeswoman Valerie Smith told USA Today.

Some people would argue that this law makes it even harder for
minorities to get a college education. This argument is invalid
because according to www.stopthedrugwar.com, there are no statistics
indicating that African-Americans use drugs at a higher rate.

It is a slap in the face to students like me to see people getting
anywhere from a partial to full-ride from financial aid and spend
their time and extra money on drugs or the distribution of them. How
about moving up the standards and helping out students who do the right thing?

For those of you outraged at this idea, maybe you feel like this is
just another step in the government's push to control your lives.
Maybe you think the man is trying to get you down. But when this same
man is paying your way, you have to be held accountable.

Just like a job, you have a boss who oversees your work and if you
aren't fulfilling your duties, why should you get the Christmas bonus
when so many would give anything to receive the same financial windfall?