STUDENT AID FORM MISLEADING ON POT

According to The Associated Press (Dec. 29 story), more than 43,000 college
students face possible denials of federal aid this year under a 1998 law
that bans such help to people who have drug convictions.

The ban involves a small fraction of the more than 10 million people a year
who fill out applications for federal grants, work-study funds or
subsidized loans.

Question 35 asks, "Have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling
illegal drugs?" Those who answer yes are given a second worksheet that asks
for details.

There's a cunning omission in Question 35. Applicants are not informed that
it refers to misdemeanor or felony convictions - not violations.

Many states have decriminalized marijuana, and possession of small amounts
is not a misdemeanor or felony offense. In New York, for example,
possession of 25 grams of marijuana or less is a violation; so the
applicant can correctly answer no to Question 35.

That is a salient point that should be clarified on the financial aid
questionnaire. The fact that it isn't calls into question the motives of
government officials, and raises the question: How many students were
wrongfully discouraged from applying for federal aid because of the omission?

WALTER F. WOUK, Cobleskill