Washington, DC: George Bush, Senator John Kerry, and Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader all support amending a federal provision in the Higher Education Act (HEA) that bars students with a prior drug conviction (including the misdemeanor possession of marijuana) from receiving federal financial aid, according to written statements released by the candidates this week on the NewVotersProject.org website. Since 1998, more than 150,000 students have been denied access to federal aid because of the provision, which was included in the HEA in 1998 by Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN).
Responding to the question, “Do you feel it is necessary to deny financial aid to a student … with a drug conviction,” both Bush and Kerry indicated that they would amend the law so that it did not apply retroactively.
“A good education is the most important factor in ensuring your future success,” said Bush. “My 2005 Budget proposes to fix the drug provision of the Higher Education Act so that incoming students who have a prior drug-related conviction would be able to receive Federal student aid, and only students convicted while in college would lose their eligibility for student aid.”
Kerry responded: “Education is perhaps the best way for someone who has been involved with drugs or crime to turn their life around. If a young person has overcome past obstacles and is ready to go to college, I don’t think that a nonviolent drug conviction in their past should prevent them from doing so. And the reality is that preventing them from obtaining federal loans means they won’t be able to afford to go to college.”
Kerry had previously said that he supported amending the HEA provision so that the ban would only apply to those convicted of drug trafficking offenses, not possession.
Only Nader responded that he supported repealing the HEA provision altogether.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of the NORML Foundation at (202) 483-5500. For more information on the HEA drug provision, please visit:
http://www.raiseyourvoice.org/
For a summary of the presidential candidates’ positions on drug policy issues, please visit:
http://www.norml.org