A decade ago, though, Congress enacted an amendment to the Higher Education Act (HEA) that jeopardizes the education of those thousands of students by delaying or denying financial aid eligibility for individuals with drug convictions. Under this one-size-fits-all punishment, every student convicted of a drug-related offense loses financial aid for at least one year, regardless of individual circumstance or level of offense.

Consider the consequences:

• A student caught smoking a joint is subject to the exact same punishment as a student caught using heroin.
• A poor student with a drug offense finds himself at risk of having to drop out of school when his aid is taken away. A wealthier peer, guilty of the same offense but able to pay his tuition without aid, is safe.

The laundry list of problems with the HEA drug penalty is endless. The penalty is an instance of institutionalized classism that denies low- and middle-income students an education as punishment for their mistakes. Oftentimes, students are forced to leave school as a result of their drug offenses and are unable to afford the private rehab programs required to restore their aid. By blocking access to education, the penalty has potential to create more drug abuse and less education for affected low-income students.

In this country, 48 percent of drug treatment needs go unmet: It should be clear that the answer to solving problems of drug abuse is not to widen of the gap between haves and have-nots. So now what? The Removing Impediments to Students' Education (RISE) Act (H.R. 5157) would eliminate this unfairly harsh penalty and even the playing field for all students convicted of drug offenses. If the unfair implications of this penalty get you as fired up as they do me, take a stand. Students everywhere deserve it.