DON'T BLOCK STUDENT AID

Asa Hutchinson, former DEA director and current candidate for
Arkansas governor, is on the right track when he says the law that
takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions
should be scaled back ("Don't withhold student loans for past drug
offenses, former DEA Director says" -- Oct. 22).

But while the partial reform he proposes would help some students
with past convictions, it would leave behind tens of thousands of
others who get convicted while in college. Blocking access to
education to people who have been in trouble with drugs is a bad
idea, regardless of when convictions occur. Pulling students out of
school won't do anything to keep them away from drugs; instead, it
causes more drug abuse.

Preventing determined individuals from earning a college degree only
increases the chances that they'll rely on public assistance programs
or become costly drains on the criminal justice system later on.

This backwards policy should be repealed entirely and aid should be
reinstated to all individuals who want to work to become productive
taxpaying citizens.

Tom Angell

Campaigns Director

Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.