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Anti-marijuana candidate loses in Uruguay primary

By WTOP Staff

LEONARDO HABERKORN
Associated Press

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — The biggest threat to Uruguay’s new legal marijuana market has lost his party’s presidential primary.

Sen. Jorge Larranaga had been a favorite to represent the National Party this year and strongly opposes the new law, which puts the ruling Broad Front government at the center of a regulated marijuana industry. The government’s aim is to defeat organized crime by producing cheaper, better, legal weed and selling it in pharmacies to registered adults.

“We are going to overturn this law that legalized marijuana growing. Nobody plant anything! Don’t plant anything because we’re going to knock it down!” Larranaga had said ahead of Sunday’s primary.

Other leading candidates to succeed President Jose Mujica in October are on the record favoring the legal cultivation and purchase of marijuana for personal use.

The right-wing National Party’s surprise winner by a wide margin was congressman Luis Lacalle Pou, who supports home-grown marijuana and says he would keep much of the law as is.

But political analyst Daniel Chasquetti cautioned against seeing Sunday’s results as a sign that sentiment is shifting in favor of Uruguay marijuana law, which Congress approved in December despite overwhelming opposition in opinion polls. He said Lacalle Pou’s victory has more to do with the feeling in his party that he stands a better chance of defeating the Broad Front in October.

Lacalle Pou, 40, is the son of former President Luis Alberto Lacalle, who governed Uruguay from 1990 to 1995.

The National Party is backed by about a third of Uruguay’s electorate, so Lacalle Pou would need to persuade many centrist voters to abandon the governing bloc. The more likely winner in October is former President Tabare Vazquez, who won the center-left Broad Front’s primary Sunday and supports the new law.

The center-right Colorado Party chose Sen. Pedro Bordaberry, who is against legalizing marijuana, but apparently lacks the votes to win.

Lacalle Pou was an early supporter of legalizing marijuana, offering a proposed law to do so even before Mujica’s government came on board. But the congressman would let private enterprise take over the industry, reducing the government role and keeping the pot business out of pharmacies.

“The idea of pot-growing clubs doesn’t really bother me,” Lacalle Pou told the Uruguayan newspaper El Pais in an interview. But “I don’t believe that the state should produce marijuana or sell it or register the people who smoke it.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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