Wednesday, July 6, 2005

HEA drug provision properly derided An excellent OpEd from Ruth Blauer, executive director of the Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs, in the Sun Journal. Link I admit that I have sometimes questioned the motives of some drug treatment professionals (see anything I've said about Andrea Barthwell), but Ruth seems to be the real deal, and she nails the HEA drug provision that prevents students from receiving federal financial aid if they've had a drug conviction. Perhaps the most detrimental legislatively erected barrier is the law that denies college financial aid to people with drug convictions on their records. Blocking access to education is both senseless and harmful to those who are in recovery, as well as to their families, friends, neighbors and society at-large. This policy, which has barred more than 160,500 would-be students from receiving aid, is the result of a provision added to the 1998 Higher Education Act. Lawmakers from Maine and around the country should work to repeal the HEA drug provision and help affected students get back into school as soon as possible. Preventing people from higher education does nothing to prevent drug abuse or help people get over their addictions. Actually, being enrolled in college reduces the likelihood that people will head down the path to drug abuse. [...] Additionally, receiving an education reduces the likelihood that individuals coming out of prison will return to engaging in illegal activity, including drug use. [...] Lawmakers should encourage people returning to communities from prison or struggling with addiction to move beyond their stumbling blocks, but the HEA drug provision threatens their chances of becoming productive members of society. Graduating more college students means increased tax revenue from greater economic productivity, whereas incarcerating more prisoners means that taxpayers must pay the bill for increased criminal justice spending. Quote of the day: The drug provision is not a deterrent to drug use; it's a deterrent to recovery. [Thanks to Tom Angell] 10:00:47 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

and now for something completely different... I admit that WorldNetDaily is not my usual first place to turn for news (or anything), but Steve Young pointed out a fascinating/bizarre article by conservative author Jim Rutz. Now obviously it's no big deal for conservatives to support drug policy reform. William F. Buckley, Jr. and many others have been leading voices for change. But I don't recall seeing many far-right American Fundamentalists calling for drug policy reform. I think Rutz qualifies. This founder of Megashift Ministries has already confidently stated that the entire world is going to become Christian and wipe out the liberals, and noted: ...let me wave my tiny set of conservative credentials: I stand somewhere between Joan of Arc and Wyatt Earp, I support any conspiracy theory that can be explained in Basic English with a straight face, and I will enter any contest in which first prize is dinner with Ann Coulter. So what does Rutz have to say about drug policy reform? Check this out: We now have a way to halt the illegal drug trade. It will require twin solutions -- one at the supply end of the pipeline, the other at the demand end. Let's look at the demand problem this week. That's the easy one because it can be solved by government decree: Just get Congress to pass a law legalizing drugs and setting up super-discount outlets for heroin, pot, and other flavors of dunce drugs, and -- poof! -- the game is 90 percent over. He has some... interesting... suggestions (clearly tongue-in-cheek): The magic of the forbidden fruit will evaporate, especially if President Bush decides to skip the government emporiums and sell exclusively through churches. (At least that would beat bingo and bake sales as a fund-raiser.) Envision this remark in a circle of teens slouched around your TV set on Saturday afternoon: "Hey, guys, let's go buy some crack from Father O'Toole and get high tonight." Approximately 12 seconds after the sale, your phone would ring with the news, and you and the other parents would come down on your kids like an avalanche down Everest. That's assuming the kids were desperate enough to go ask the pastor to sell them some dope -- and look like drooling idiots. The thing is, he really does understand. If you can wade through his references to liberals and sin, and get to the meat of his statements, they make sense. One big factor that keeps drugs attractive to the young is the excitement of getting away with something forbidden. [...] Drug dabbling is going to be with us for awhile. But that doesn't mean regular drug use will continue to be a problem. [...] The main force that keeps drugs so popular in the United States is the war against drugs. [...] So let's change the law. Yep. 9:42:01 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []