WARRING AGAINST THE WAR ON DRUGS

As we have seen so prevalently during this time of war, lack of information
leads to harmful assumptions. Today, I write this letter to inform the UI
of the harms of the nation's war on drugs and its detrimental effects on
students nationwide.

According to a 1998 amendment to the Higher Education Act, also known as
the Drug-Free Student Aid provision, any student convicted of a drug
charge, no matter how small, is automatically denied federal financial aid.
While many may argue that drugs are illegal, and therefore the users
deserve this punishment, denying them the opportunity to an education is
not going to deter drug use.

The provision primarily affects those in lower-to middle-class families who
cannot afford higher education without financial assistance. Those who can
afford college do not have to worry about getting punished for the same
crime twice.

And while some argue that financial aid can be reinstated upon completion
of a rehabilitation program, the government allocates no money for this
treatment. It is not likely that struggling families who cannot afford
higher education will be able to afford a treatment program, and the rehab
programs are usually filled with addicts who need help, not people who have
been convicted of nonviolent possession once.

The Department of Education reports that more than 91,000 students in the
United States have been denied financial aid fully or partially under this
provision. While substance abuse is a growing problem in our nation,
denying students education is not the answer. So today, on this national
day of action against this provision, I ask you to contact your
representative and show your support of HR 685, a bill introduced by Barney
Frank, D-Mass., which will repeal this unjust provision. At campuses across
the nation, students will be calling, writing, faxing, or e-mailing their
representatives to voice their opposition to the Drug-Free Student Aid
provision. I am not asking you to advocate the right to use drugs; rather,
I am imploring you to advocate the right to an education to which people
everywhere are entitled.

Diana Selwyn

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy