Drug Question Scrapped on Student Aid Form

Tom Angell of Students for Sensible Drug Policy sends in some good news. Thanks to their efforts a Congressionally-appointed committee yesterday called for the removal of a question about drug convictions from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The question currently appears on the FAFSA because of a 1998 law that suspends financial aid eligibility for students with any drug convictions. Since the question was added to the FAFSA in 2000, it has affected more than 157,000 students.

The proposal to remove the drug question comes from a report issued today by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, an independent committee created by Congress to advise on higher education and student aid policy. The report characterizes the drug conviction question as "irrelevant" and notes that its existence "...add[s] complexity to the form and can deter some students from applying for financial aid."

This group has been tireless in addressing the inequity of denying financial aid to students with even the most minor drug charges on their record and their work is an example to all reformers on how to change the system from within. Congratulations to SSDP for a job well done.

UPDATE: Tom Angell checks in with a comment to temper my enthusiam here. In his own words, "As a clarification, the committee's recommendation does not mean that the question will in fact be removed from the form. As we all know, the federal government has a history of not following its own recommendations. Remember Nixon and marijuana decriminalization in 1972?

In any case, this development is huge one, and it is very positive. Folks who want to contribute to SSDP's efforts to change misguided drug policies can do so here.