Turning Drug Dealers Into College Grads

Tuesday's Frat Boy News Pause for the Cause

Wayne County Community College (compiled by Amber Arellano)

Let's face it. Few people have sympathy for convicted drug dealers. They tended their garden, now they're living with the fruits of their cultivation.

Generally, I agree. Lately, though, I've been re-thinking my stance, particularly in regards to the societal value of preventing small-time convicted marijuana dealers from getting college financial aid.

My editorial board has help make this problem clearer to me as Wayne County Community College leaders have told us about how every year, dozens of such young men cannot afford to attend the school because their criminal record makes them ineligible for federal financial aid.

On one hand, I don't have much sympathy for convicted drug dealers and their aspirations. They don't deserve to have their behavior rewarded.

On the other hand, when these people -- overwhelmingly young men -- don't find a viable career path, they're more likely to go back to drug dealing and to need state welfare assistance to support their families.

And they're just as likely or more likely to pay back college student loans.

"There's no evidence that shows young kids who smoked marijuana in the past or who have a rap on their record are less likely to pay back their student loans," says William Pollack, a Harvard University researcher who is among the nation's top experts on the gender achievement gap.

"Overwhelmingly," he added, "middle class kids are just as likely or more likely to default on their college student loans."

It's in the federal and state governments' best interest to get these young men to college, into good jobs, and turn them into strong contributors to their families and communities, including as taxpayers.

This is one area of federal intervention that needs to be revamped, and quickly, before another few thousand young men in Michigan are turned away for financial aid and give up on their college dreams.