Pubdate: Mon, 08 Aug 2005 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Copyright: 2005 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ Website: http://www.sptimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Author: David A. Ricks Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1232/a04.html THE WEALTHY ESCAPE THIS PENALTY Re: No school aid for drug offenders. The writer of this Aug. 3 letter conveniently ignores the fact that current federal law, which denies financial aid to students convicted of drug offenses, only affects those students who are unable to pay cash for college. Students from wealthy families whose parents simply write a check each semester are unaffected by the law. Why is it that students of lesser means are subject to a punishment that students of greater means are not? The law is ridiculous and does nothing to deter drug use. It serves only to deny college in many cases to those students who need it the most. David A. Ricks, Miami - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom