Editors note: Both the letter author and our newshawk are active in the
Canadian wing of MAP which includes the excellent, and only I believe,
discussion list specifically on drug policy issues in Canada, MATTALK.
Details are at:
http://www.islandnet.com/~creator/cmap/lists.htm#mattalk

CMAP is also the home of the MAP Chat Room where activists from Canada and
around the world meet to discuss activities every Saturday and Sunday
evening at:
http://www.mapinc.org/chat/

Canadian MAP folks have been very successful in using their discussion
list, and all the services of MAP/DrugSense, to participate in 'winning the
war on drugs one letter at a time' as shown by the many published letters at:
http://www.mapinc.org/lte/
-

STUDENT LOANS SAFE

Re: 'Police not turning other cheek to dope,' Calgary Herald, Feb. 28.

Staff Sgt. Gord Banack says that a conviction for a drug offense might
prevent young people from getting a student loan in Alberta.

When I read this, I was shocked, since it seems to me that not only is this
discriminatory but potentially infringes on an applicant¹s Charter rights.

So I asked a few questions and did some checking at the Alberta Students
Finance web page and asked some Alberta students if this was the case.
Banack is incorrect. As I suspected, the presence of a criminal record has
no bearing on a student loan application in Alberta.

Chalk another one up to 'reefer madness'. It¹s no wonder kids today don¹t
take anti-drug campaigns seriously when they¹re given misleading and false
information like this.

Timothy J. Meehan
Toronto, Ont.