NY Times: Law barring college aid to pot offenders should be repealed

[rodeodance]

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/NY_Times__Law_barring_college_1102.html

NY Times: Law barring college aid to pot offenders should be repealed
11/02/2007 @ 12:13 pm
Filed by Jason Rhyne



It's time for Congress to repeal a law that prevents students with marijuana convictions from receiving federal financial aid for college, says the New York Times editorial board in a Friday opinion piece.

"Anything that keeps ex-offenders from attending college makes it more likely that they will be caught in the revolving door that leads to prison," writes the Times. "Tens of thousands of people have been pushed in that direction since the 1990s when Congress passed a law that barred even minor drug offenders from receiving federal education aid."

Although the editorial points out that Congress last year struck portions of the law barring aid for individuals whose offenses took place more than ten years ago, it insists that the rest of the provisions should be scrapped as well:

"The law is wrong-headed on several counts. It primarily affects low-income students and exempts the wealthy, who don’t need aid to attend college," continues the Times. "It targets young people of color, who are disproportionately prosecuted for drug offenses and already less likely to complete college."

Even relatively small-time offenses, for which criminal courts typically only mete out probation, fines or community service orders, can render an individual temporarily ineligible for aid.
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Read the full editorial here.

[Democrats_win]

1. I agree, but doubt that our 99% conservative congress will.

In Colorado we have a similar law that targets rioting. Get caught rioting, loose your student aid. Now if only those students had been smoking pot instead of rioting....

[flashl]

2. This sentiment

gave rise to the national "Dump Farallon" campaign originated at Yale University and was coordinated by the Yale Graduate and Employees Student Organization (GESO).

Hope GESO and like-mind organizations are paying attention.