DRUG POLICY PREVENTS HIGHER EDUCATION

Students need to make their voice heard on the higher education drug provision.

With the recent study released by the Government Accountability
Office showing that the higher education drug provision does not
deter students from using drugs and the ongoing debate in Congress
right now, it is important to revisit the issue.

The sole purpose of Higher Education Act was to strengthen the
educational resources of colleges and universities and to increase
access to higher education through financial assistance.

Seven years ago a provision was added to the Higher Education Act
that delays or denies financial aid to anyone convicted of a state or
federal drug offense. Since taking effect, more than 160,000 students
have lost their financial aid eligibility due. This is in addition to
whatever punishment they have received from state or federal courts.
The student's misdeed remains the only class of crime that has a ban
on financial aid eligibility. This means the provision doesn't deal
with someone who has been charged with drunken driving, rape or
murder. The provision was supposed to keep students off drugs through
the threat of lost financial aid assistance, however, it impossible
to check the efficacy of this claim since many students who are
convicted of drug offenses don't bother applying for financial aid.

Invariably, the drug provision in the Higher Education Act hurts
those it was intended to help: middle and low-income families. These
are the people who have to worry about paying for their education,
but all too often face barriers like the drug provision that keep
higher education out of their reach. This is to say nothing of the
minorities who are vastly overrepresented in drug convictions in the
United States.

With more than 70 million U.S. citizens who have smoked marijuana at
least once in their life, it is essential that University students
call the provision what it really is: politics over people. Right now
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., along with 50 other co-sponsors are
authoring a bill that would repeal the drug provision. Students
should let them know that they support this action.