A nationwide survey recently released from the US Department of Education has revealed that Rhode Island ranks fifth in denying college aid to drug offenders.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an activist group committed to providing public education on harms caused by the "war on drugs," obtained the information after filing a Freedom of Information request with the U.S. Department of Education.

The data shows that 807 Rhode Islanders have been denied student aid under a provision of the Higher Education Act since it was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and enacted during the 2000-01 school year.

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