DENYING FINANCIAL AID TO STUDENTS DUE TO DRUG OFFENSE REDUCES OPPORTUNITIES

With the arrival of spring, I am reminded of impending high school
graduations and the hope for our youth to grow and blossom into
responsible adults. Many of these impending graduates will be going
off to college with a hope of getting the education and training
necessary to prosper.

However, over 2,800 students in Wisconsin alone have been denied one
of their best opportunities at the good life, due to youthful
indiscretion and a drug offense on their permanent record. In our
great society drug offenders are jailed and excluded from federal
student financial aid programs.

One vocal proponent of the drug war has been entertainer and political
gadfly, Rush Limbaugh. Mr. Limbaugh says, "If people are violating the
law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be
convicted and they ought to be sent up." Yet his arrest regarding
illegally obtained painkillers, and the cakewalk handed him by the
prosecutor, rings of hypocisy. In no sense could this be chalked up to
"youthful indiscretion." A 17-year-old high school student would have
faced prison and a ban from higher education aid; Rush got treatment
and an expunged record after 18 months of sobriety.

Drug addiction is a public health issue that needs to be addressed
through treatment and prevention, not jail and bans from receiving
student financial aid. All people make mistakes, especially in our
youth. No punishment should hurt more than the crime.

Eric Nelson

Madison