Yesterday morning I flew back to Washington, DC from a weekend long Canada SSDP Board retreat in Toronto. Any time I have to go through customs, I know I'll be faced with the inevitable, "What do you do for work?" question at customs. In my seven years working in drug policy, I've never encountered a customs agent who had a problem with my work.
While going through customs yesterday, I told the customs agent where I work and he asked what SSDP does. I explained we were working to overturn a law that denies financial aid to students with drug convictions. The agent raised his eyebrows, looked at me, and responded, "Whoever came up with that law must be out of their mind!" He then went on a rant about how people who are trying to overcome addiction need an education in order to succeed, and that whoever created this law wasn't thinking long term.
Of course, I informed the agent that the man responsible for the law is Representative Mark Souder from Indiana. His reply: "Well, he's not very bright. Good luck with your campaign."
With that, he stamped my passport and wished me a good day.
3 comments:
Customs and Border Protection Agents for Drug Policy Reform (CBPADPR)?
Excellent story. Actually, I'm surprised that when my mom tells her friends and patients about my involvement in SSDP, the worst she gets is indifference. More often she reports someone gushing about how cool it is that there are students working on drug policy reform for reason xyz that hits close to home and blah dee blah. So much for being rebellious. ;) Oh, and it's pretty much people from all walks of life, too.
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