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Page A4
May 03. 2006
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
Financial Aid Law Seriously Flawed
Marijuana convictions shouldn’t
prohibit college help
by
J udge G reg M athis
C urrent federal laws
prevent anyone with a
drug conviction - even a
nonviolent one - from
receiving financial aid for
college. W ith A m erica’s
rising drug problem , the
logic behind the law is
obvious - deter young people from
en g ag in g in drug activ ities by
threatening their chance to go to
college. However, the law is seri­
ously flawed. Individuals w ithcon-
victions involving m ari­
juana should not be lumped
into the same category as
those convicted o f selling
crack or crystal meth. These
are very different drugs,
with very different effects
on s o c ie ty . A s u su a l,
A m erica’s one-size fits all
drug policies treat all cri mes as equal,
even when they clearly are not.
A recently released study shows
that nearly 190,(XX) students have
been turned down for financial aid
since the federal governm ent added
a question that asks students if
they have a drug conviction to fed­
eral financial aid forms. The study,
released by Students for Sensible
Drug Policy, show s that one in ev ­
ery 4(X) students is refused finan­
cial aid w hen they answ er ‘yes' to
this question. Not answ ering the
question w o n ’t make a difference -
a student will only be automatically
disqualified from receiving aid.
Those with convictions can regain
theiraid eligibility by com pleting a
drug rehab program that includes
random drug tests.
Although illegal, marijuana does
not wreak havoc on individuals,
t
Marijuana does not wreak havoc
on individuals, families and entire
communities the way other drugs are
known to. Why then, is it grouped in
with other more dangerous drugs?
families and entire com m unities the aid. T his is not to ad v o cate for
way other drugs are known to. Why m ariju an a use, th is is to sim ply
then, is it grouped in with other po in t out how u n fair it is to su b ­
more dangerous drugs? U nder age je c t som eone co n v icted o f sm o k ­
d rin k in g is a huge problem in ing a jo in t to the sam e fate as
A m erica, p articu larly on co lleg e som eone co n v icte d o f sm oking
cam p u ses; there a re n ’t any p o li­ and sellin g crack.
During the 2003-2004 school
c ie s th at k eep m in o rs ca u g h t
d rinking from receiving financial year, more than 40,(XX) applicants
Talk About the Risk to Kids is serious business
by
K aren W heeler
threw a party at our house.” That
not only exposed the parents to
potential civil orcrim inal liability if
som eone had been injured, but
most parents also are unaw are that
state law perm its police to seize not
only the liquor from an underage
party but also related property such
as furniture, stereos and glassware
and older. And that is only one of
the risks.
“T he ea rlie r you sta rt," one
m om tells her kids, “the m ore
likely y o u ’ll have a problem . So
I'd really like you to w ait.” She
co uld add that teen s w ho d rink at
age 15 are fo u r tim es m ore likely
to b e c o m e a lc o h o l-d e p e n d e n t
A dozen parents sat down re­
cently to talk about underage drink­
ing. “U p until they are I2 o r 13,’’one
o f the moms said without intended
hum or, "they do w hat you say.
Then they stop.”
In fact, research shows that most
young children view drinking alco­
hol as wrong. That does change
as they grow older, when a third
o f Oregon eighth-grade girls say
they have consum ed alcohol in
the past month and I in I Oof both
girls and boys say they have en­
gaged in binge drinking during
the prior 30 days. Isy o u rteen o n e
if the party was held with the par­ than those w ho w ait until th e y ’re
o f them ?
21. T he o d d s o f alcohol d e p e n ­
“None o f us think so,” said an­ en ts’ knowledge.
O ne parent said she regularly d ence are also h ig h er am ong c h il­
other mom, “but w e’re all w orried.”
Perhaps they should be: A national show s her daughter news stories d ren o f alco h o lics.
Teens should know that binge
survey found that I in 5 teens said about teens hurt or killed in alco­
they had had 5 or more drinks in the hol-related auto crashes. “This drinking, defined as consum ing five
prior 2 weeks, a rate 20 times higher could be you, it could be your or more drinks in one sitting, can
than w hat a group o f parents esti­ friends, it does happen," she tells lead to alcohol poisoning that kills.
her 13-year-old. S h e's right: The O r that alcohol’s influence can lead
m ated in another survey.
The son o f one o f the Oregon national rate o f alcohol-related fa­ to date rape, sexually transm itted
parents surprised his folks. "W e talities among 16- to 20-year-olds is diseases or unw anted teen preg­
were gone on a weekend and he alm ost double that for drivers 21 nancies. The teen years are a time of
Teens who drink at age 15 are
four times more likely to become
alcohol-dependent than those
who wait until they're 21.
»
brain developm ent. Sophisticated
im aging techniques have detected
structural brain differences in 17-
year-olds who displayed alcohol-
induced intellectual and behavioral
im pairm ents. Studies o f laboratory
anim als, m eanw hile, show that al­
cohol consum ption during puberty
affects m aturation o f the reproduc­
tive system. The parents who sat
down together all agreed: Parenting
is a tough job. The job requires not
only careful listening, setting clear
ex p e ctatio n s, en fo rcin g c o n se ­
quences and identifying attractive
alternatives to alcohol, but also
m odeling responsible behavior.
What kind ofexample do your drink­
ing habits set for your chi Id or teen?
As one mom put it near the end of
their conversation, “I feel like I re­
ally don’t know what I think 1 know.”
If y o u ’re also unsure w here your
chi Id or teen is with drinking, it’sin
your best interests — and those of
your teen — to find out.
Karen Wheeler is addictions
policy manager in the Oregon
Department o f Human Services.
I
I
were refused financial aid because
they had drug convictions. T h at's
40,(XX) students that could have
gone on to becom e teachers, doc­
tors, lawyers or even President of
the United States - in short, pro­
d u c tiv e m e m b e rs o f so c ie ty .
T h ere’s no guarantee that these
students won ’ t li ve out their dreams
o f finishing college, but one thing
is certain: this current barrier will
only make achieving that goal that
much more difficult.
Judge Greg Mathis is national
vice president o f Rainbow PUSH
and a national board member o f
the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference.
Deadline Too Severe
But too important to ignore
by
U.S. R e ; p . C orrine B rown
U n d ersta n d in g M edicare
Part D, the prescription drug
benefit plan is extrem ely im ­
portant for everyone, esp e­
cially for seniors and their loved
ones w ho can help to choose
the best plan that suits their
needs.
Indeed, the new prescription
drug benefit is the biggest change
to M edicare since the program was
created back in 1965. This added
benefit will change the way about
30 million Am ericans pay for their
m edication. U nfortunately, it is
also one o f the most confusing
governm ent plans ever launched.
T oo m any people have still not
signed up, w hile others are having
a lot o f trouble understanding this
com plicated plan. Not only is pick­
ing a plan difficult, but the drop
dead deadline o f May 15 makes no
sense.
I’ve been an elected official for
25 years and I have never seen a
program that penalizes som ebody
for the rest o f their life if they d o n ’t
s ig n up r ig h t
away.
I know this pro­
c e s s is v e ry
confusing. If you
h a v e q u e s tio n s
about signing up
for a plan, you can
call a Medicare counselor at 1-800-
MEDICARE
There are severe penalties if you
miss the M ay 15 deadline. W hat
will happen is that you will have to
wait until the next open enrollm ent
period for coverage starting in Janu­
ary, plus pay a one percent per-
month penalty for missing the dead­
line.
That m eans at a m inim um the
prem ium will be six percent higher
— not ju st next year, but always.
For all o f the seniors out there,
1 plead with you, if this Congress
fails to act, m ake sure that you sign
up for a plan before May 15.
Congresswoman Brown is a
Democrat from Florida and mem­
ber o f the Congressional Black
Congress.
I