Beginning July 1, changes to the Federal Higher Education Act will take effect, altering the process by which students apply for financial aid. Initially passed in 1998, the act contains a provision that makes a clean drug record a condition for granting financial aid. Previously, the question about drug convictions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form was optional. Now, under the new law, a response is mandatory.

Students with a single conviction for a drug related offense are subject to having their aid suspended for one year. The second offense results in a two-year suspension of aid, and the third conviction causes aid to be suspended indefinitely.

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Kudos to Brian Dupre for his thoughtful editorial titled "New Strategy For War On Drugs" (2/16/00). I have been critical of The Texan's coverage of the War on SOME Drugs, and it is refreshing to see some balance. Mr. Dupre's insight is correct, this nation's War on SOME Drugs is a failure, even if the government's propaganda says otherwise.

Recently, the U.K. drug tsar, Keith Hellawell, and Cabinet member, Mo Mowlam, acknowledged that their own U.S.-style War on SOME Drugs is not the best way to go. These two outspoken politicos have called for a liberalization of cannabis laws in the U.K. Perhaps the U.S. and the U.K. should look to the Dutch model as a working example of a beneficial harm reduction plan. The current U.S. War on SOME Drugs is largely based on misinformation that has been propagated since the early 20th century. It is time that the people of this great nation stand up to the oppressive forces and demand that public policy be based on fact rather than fiction. The governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, has already taken a great step forward by publicly admitting that the U.S. War on SOME Drugs is a failure based on misinformation and propaganda.

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