DRUG LEGALIZATION PROPONENTS WIN COURT BATTLE

As the war on drugs continues its long battle against controlled
substances, a group that challenged a law passed in 1998
disqualifying students from financial aid if they were convicted of
possession or selling drugs recently won its fight with the
Department of Education.

Since the Department of Education is unable to verify whether a
student has been convicted with a drug charge, it is only the
students who admit to the charges that can be denied financial aid.

"The Department of Education has no way to tell if students are lying
(about whether or not they were convicted on drug charges)," said Tom
Angell, national campaign director for SSDP. "Basically, students are
punished for being honest."

The Students for Sensible Drug Policy sued the DOE for not releasing
the number of students denied federal aid because of this law.

In 2004, the group asked the Department of Education to release a
state-by-state breakdown of these numbers, but were denied the
request. The Department of Education said they would only part with
the information for a fee amounting to over $4000.

"We were legally qualified to get the information for free," Angell
said. "They said they couldn't give us the information, because it
would lead to drug legalization."

SSDP sued the Department of Education, and received the numbers Wed., April 12.

SSDP was represented by Public Citizen, a non-profit, public interest
organization that serves as a watchdog for a wide-range of issues,
mainly health, safety and democracy, said Adina Rosenbaum, an
attorney for Public Citizen.

"We firmly believe in open government and a citizen's right to access
government records, so they can hold the government accountable,"
said Rosenbaum.

Virginia ranked 36th out of the 50 states and the District of
Columbia for the number of students denied aid. Since the passing of
the law in 1998, there have been 1,639,755 applicants. 3,217
students, or 0.20 percent, have been rejected from federal aid on the
grounds of prior convictions.

Students who find they are facing a drug charge while attending
school will be denied financial aid for subsequent years as well.

"Kicking students out will only increase drug abuse, which is the
exact opposite intention of the law," Angell said.

Some students at Virginia Tech can see both sides of this issue.

"I would say yes and no (that students be denied federal aid because
of drug charges)," said Colleen Webster, sophomore communication
major. "If the drugs are more serious that marijuana, and they have
affected the student's grades, then the financial aid should be taken
away. If it was a one time marijuana offense, I don't think it should
matter because everyone should be allowed one mistake in his or her life."

SSDP hopes the release of these numbers will help members of Congress
see the law in a different light.

"Before, members of congress were easily able to brush aside the
numbers because they weren't available. Now that they have the
numbers, they can see how their own constituents are affected. They
will have to change the law or face angry voters in the fall," Angell said.