Surreal Drug War: Military takes drug offenders that can't afford college costs

Has the War on Drugs become a military recruitment tool?

While young people with drug convictions are ineligible for federal financial aid, they are increasingly being welcomed into the armed forces. According to an AP article based on Defense Department data, the Army granted more than twice as many waivers to recruits with criminal records in 2006 than it did in 2003. 9 out of 10 of these “moral” waivers are related to misdemeanor offenses, including drug charges.

Military officials say that the waivers offer a second chance to those who have overcome past mistakes. After all, should we limit our pool of eligible servicemen and –women based on such nitpicky criteria as traffic violations, writing bad checks, and marijuana possession?

If only it were as easy to get an education as it is to sign on for duty.

Since the 1998 Aid Elimination Penalty of the Higher Education Act (HEA) was instituted, a student with a drug conviction, even for simple possession of marijuana, is automatically stripped of his or her financial aid eligibility. The penalty only affects working class and middle class students who cannot afford school on their own—often the same people who turn to the military for a step up in their careers.

Even without the waivers, the military’s standards are a lot more forgiving than federal financial aid requirements. According to the Associated Press, a single marijuana conviction won’t keep you out of any branch of the military other than the Marines (and now two-thirds of waivers in the Marines are given for drug convictions).

An extended and unpopular war has forced military officials to relax rules about who’s fit to serve. What kind of crisis will it take for government officials to similarly remove impediments to education?America needs all of our young people to fulfill their potential, students and soldiers alike. In a changing global economy, we need more need engineers, doctors, and teachers.  Shutting young people out of educational opportunities doesn’t serve our country’s best interests.

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