Pot Heads Need Finacial Aid Too!
I am Going to explain to you how a law passed in 1998 can deny student fiacial aid, and education to people making he streets unsafe and undercutting America's economic productivity and what steps you can do to change this.
The Higer Education Act (HEA) drug provision is federal law passed in 1998 that denies finacial aid to students with past drug convictions. Since taking effect in 2000, more than 175,000 would-be students have lost their financial aid b/c of past drug convictions, many of them for very minor offenses for which the law allows no judicial decretion.
When I was 18 years old I was charged for having a illegal substance.
Question 31 on the Free Applicaton for Federal Student Aid asks the student if hey have ever been convicted of possesion or selling of illegal drugs. If the student checks the yes box they are sent a additional form to fill out. Based on the additional work, the goverment determines whether the student will recibe finacial aid.
Dependig on how the student answers the questions on the federla application, Congress has said the goverment has the right to deny finacial aid to students.
Persons convicted in distrit court for a first-time drug offense while receiving student finacial aid lose eligibility for their loan, grand, or work-study for one year from the date and/or they lose their job and are forced to drop out of school.
The department of education reports that among students who left a four-year college before the beginning of their second year that 36% did not return within 5 years; 50% of those leaving a 2-year institution did not return 50% did not return within 5 years as well.
Thes are otherwise will performing students. No other type of criinal conviction results in the loss of student finacial aid!
Tom Anfell, campaign director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy says they were unable to find evidence that denying financial aid reduces drug use by young people.
Denyig access to college ony increases drug abuse, If a person has a college education, they are less likely to actively pursue a life of crime. Maybe a crime that could involve you or anybody in our society.
Some believe that people gettting fincacial aid spend it on drugs and might waste the money. I believe they should have tighter laws on what they can do with the money. They could have like the food stamp thing.
The HEA already excludes receibing lower than a "C" average in their studes from receivig federal fiacial aid. The Drug Provision, therefore, only denies aid to students who are doing well in school.
I believe Education has a long-term positive effect on society. We need to do whatever we can to keep it that way.
