Strong support for repeal of drug law: Will Rhode Island's Reps listen?
Tom Angell
Issue date: 9/10/03 Section: Editorial/Opinion
09/10/03 - The Higher Education Act drug provision denies or delays federal financial aid for school to students with any drug conviction - even possession of marijuana.
Since the law's inception in 1998, over 125,000 young people have been turned away from school because of drug convictions.
While this policy may be intended to act as a deterrent for drug use, it is inherently counterproductive. It is a sad fact that young people sometimes make mistakes and get into trouble with drugs. When this happens, the last thing we should do is close the doors of education to them. The drug provision wrongly pushes people with convictions back toward the streets, where they are more likely to continue their involvement with drugs. Instead, these would-be students should be welcomed into productive learning environments, like universities.
In addition to its inherent ineffectiveness, the HEA drug provision has a racially discriminatory impact. African Americans comprise 13 percent of the population and proportionally represent 13 percent of drug users - but they account for over 55 percent of drug convictions. This means that the drug provision is keeping people of color out of school at a higher rate than the rest of the population.
Furthermore, this fundamentally flawed law only affects people of lower socioeconomic status. Students from well-to-do families can usually afford access to higher education without financial aid (they can also sometimes afford good lawyers to avoid convictions in the first place).
Fortunately, there is a growing movement rising in opposition to the blatantly misguided drug provision. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an organization with 200 chapters nationwide, is leading the campaign to push back the provision. SSDP is joined by organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, United States Student Association, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Association for Addiction Professionals.
Since the law's inception in 1998, over 125,000 young people have been turned away from school because of drug convictions.
While this policy may be intended to act as a deterrent for drug use, it is inherently counterproductive. It is a sad fact that young people sometimes make mistakes and get into trouble with drugs. When this happens, the last thing we should do is close the doors of education to them. The drug provision wrongly pushes people with convictions back toward the streets, where they are more likely to continue their involvement with drugs. Instead, these would-be students should be welcomed into productive learning environments, like universities.
In addition to its inherent ineffectiveness, the HEA drug provision has a racially discriminatory impact. African Americans comprise 13 percent of the population and proportionally represent 13 percent of drug users - but they account for over 55 percent of drug convictions. This means that the drug provision is keeping people of color out of school at a higher rate than the rest of the population.
Furthermore, this fundamentally flawed law only affects people of lower socioeconomic status. Students from well-to-do families can usually afford access to higher education without financial aid (they can also sometimes afford good lawyers to avoid convictions in the first place).
Fortunately, there is a growing movement rising in opposition to the blatantly misguided drug provision. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an organization with 200 chapters nationwide, is leading the campaign to push back the provision. SSDP is joined by organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, United States Student Association, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Association for Addiction Professionals.
