Jason Aquino pled guilty yesterday to participating in the shooting death of Justin Cosby in Harvard’s Kirkland House. The Globe reports that he’ll get 18 to 20 years.

“Today, Jason Aquino is held accountable for his part in the killing of Justin Cosby, by admitting the role he played and his culpability in the shooting death of this young man, which occurred in broad daylight on the campus of one of the world’s premier educational institutions,’’ Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said.

(Would Aquino’s crime have been considered lesser had he committed it at Rocky Mountain College? Or was he punished by the Harvard brand? That’s a serious question.)

The victim’s mother, Denise Cosby, gave a statement blasting Aquino.

“I sit here and look into the face of what is supposed to be a man,’’ Cosby said in a stern voice. “You are a fool.’’

No question. On the other hand, her son was participating in a major drug deal involving “what authorities called a substantial amount of marijuana.” On the campus of one of the world’s premier educational institutions!

I’m not saying he deserved it, don’t get me wrong. Just saying that if you’re dealing drugs, you’re maybe not so bright yourself….

On a separate note, I wish that all the kids at Harvard and elsewhere who like to get high and don’t think it’s any big deal would consider the toll their habits are taking on Mexico and, increasingly, the countries of Central America.

I’ve traveled a fair amount in this part of the world and love it—its beauty, its people, its culture—and it breaks my heart to see these countries torn up by violence because American kids want to fire up a doobie at a Strokes concert.

Maybe the answer is to legalize marijuana. But until that happens, how can anyone justify a habit that exacts such a terrible price?