Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients: Pros and Cons
According to CNN and a number of other news sources, Florida officials are taking quick strides toward implementing a new program that will require potential recipients of cash aid and welfare to undergo drug testing when they apply. Some think this idea is great. Others are offended by the implications. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.
Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients: The Pros
The way proponents of the new drug testing initiative sees it – and that includes the lawmakers who are signing it into policy – it’s not fair to ask taxpayers to pay for the drug addiction of those who are receiving welfare if they are, in fact, using those funds to buy heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, et cetera.
Florida’s Governor Rick Scott recently signed the legislation that would make it mandatory for adults who were applying for aid to undergo drug testing as part of the application process. Said Scott: “It’s the right thing for taxpayers. It’s the right thing for citizens of this state that need public assistance. We don’t want to waste tax dollars. And also, we want to give people an incentive to not use drugs.”
Do These Pro-Drug Testing Arguments Stand Up?
The incentive not to use drugs is a positive aspect to the new legislation. If knowing that your cash aid depended upon your ability to produce a clean sample and pass a drug test could help you to stay clean, then it’s likely that you’ll be able to spend your time going to school or looking for a better job that pays more than welfare and so more quickly reduce your need for state assistance.
Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients: The Cons
Some who would have to undergo the drug testing are offended by the implication that simply because you are having financial problems you also have a drug addiction. They say that the stigma against those who receive funds from the government is bad enough without making it worse with mandatory drug testing. Others say that it may stop people from seeking aid who need it to properly care for their children.
Do These Anti-Drug Testing Arguments Stand Up?
The only problem with these arguments is that, if welfare recipients aren’t abusing drugs, then the drug testing will actually serve to remove some of the stigma of implied drug addiction that many assume even without drug testing. Additionally, it should be pointed out that most jobs also require random and mandatory drug testing done sporadically throughout employment – not just at the time of application. This is actually far more lenient than others endure making the same amount at local retail store working part-time.
What do you think? Leave a comment and tell us your opinion on mandatory drug testing for welfare recipient applicants.
so what about people who drink and are alcoholics, are they to test for that? where will this end up? ..people who smoke, people who don’t eat healthy? i mean why should the nation pay for someones junk food habit? what about people who are addicted to prescribed drugs?
All good questions, but since they cant prove a “junk food” habit that will be hard but i have to agree with the smoking one if we arent going to pay for illegal drugs then taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for smoking or drinking either. there will be a way to test for these and then i hope that too is implemented. I really beileve this is a good law and i hope my state is the next to pick it up, if we have to be tested for our jobs which is our own money we are working for than why should we pay for someone to have an addiction of any sort?
what about people with gambling addictions? why should hardworking americans pay for them to go and throw the money down the drain at some casino or bookies?
just to add, what if someone was being prescribed an opiate or other controlled drug for some medical condition which was identified by the positive test result. they would then be in a position where they would be forced to disclose information about the condition and details of the treatment they were receiving to the welfare officers. this would undoubtedly be kept on file and be accessible by the government, courts and police agencies and could then easily be used against you at a later date. who knows who else would get access to that private information at some time in the future.
Many people have had to take opiates for one reason or another. When you go for a drug test, one of the first things they have you do is list all OTC and Prescription medications you’re taking. It’s not to invade your privacy, they couldn’t care less why you’re taking them, they just want to make sure you’re legally allowed to use them. If ya pop positive for one of them, you show the prescription bottle with your name on it and it’s open and shut.
John Barnett, with ll of your comments you seem like the kind of people out there taking advantage of the system in the first place. I’m in the military and i go through random drug tests on a regular basis, sometimes 3 in one month. If I’m prescribed something that would otherwise be incriminated it’s no big deal, I simply state that prior to taking the drug test and it is never brought up again. Why should people defending our country be drug tested on a regular basis but not welfare recipients. The way I see it, I believe welfare recipients should not only be drug tested, but also have their check direct deposited onto a card that is only able to be used at a place of purchase, not an atm. That way there is little to no possible way they could buy illegal drugs with it. That would also eliminate most gambling. As far as consumption of alcohol and/or tobacco products, those are legal drugs. If someone wants to drink or smoke, let them. At least we are eliminating some of the unnecessary spending out of welfare recipients. In conclusion, what I’m saying is either get a better job so you don’t have to get welfare and/or stop using illegal drugs or stop abusing legal ones, end of story.
Great idea. There is way to much abuse of the system and it needs to stop. I just had a government employee contact me to rent my house out and wanted to know if I exepted section 8 which in California is for help in paying your rent. I even recently had someone ask me if I wanted to buy her food stamps for 50 cents on the dollar. Give me a break. Drug test them and maybe next we can test for alcohol abuse. We gotta start somewhere
Agreed pam! children are taught what they learn from their parents so if they see their parents doing it, it is only natural for them to follow in the footsteps. we need to start somewhere. i have heard from many people here in my own town how government money is being spent fivorously, this is a great start and hopefully they will follow up on everything. If reciepiants know they have to stay clean to get their money maybe they will go better themselves with an education or finding a job!
I work. If it’s OK to test me, it’s OK to test them. ’nuff said
Just say yes!
What about the kids who no longer get assistance due to parents taking drugs?? You can say then they should not have their kids but the fact of the matter is states can barley afford the kids in homes now let alone all the ones that could be taken then.. also they dont always take these children bc when the parent test positive then they place them in programs to help them get better. Also consider the facts of the price it cost to drug test all these people seriously and just bc someone is getting help does not mean they are on drugs. And for those of you worried about your tax dollars welfare should be the least considering it gets the least amount of tax dollars. Do the research also most people on welfare do work they just dont get paid enough.. as far as them educating themselves better consider the fact that they might have learning disablities or dont believe enough in themselves. And who would work these low paying jobs to serve you if they didnt?? Everything is the way it is for a reason : )
In a couple articles it mentions that if a parent loses their welfare money, kids can still get food assistance given to their grandparents or other family members.
Well honestly I believe that if the parents are doing drugs the children should not have to be in that kind of situation. A home with drugs is not a stable home and those kids should be taken away from that horror.
You are so right!!!!!
I agree also! i am a 17 year old male who works at a small store in my hometown. there has been a case where a young woman was reaching into her purse to get her food stamps and a bag of pot fell out on the counter. also too many people buy literally pounds of candy, energy drinks, and sandwiches on thier EBT cards, but yet they have enough cash for thier 30 racks of beer and thier cigarettes! we need to stop letting people abuse the welfare, AND the disabled system!
I don’t understand why this is such and issue. This testing should be done, I have seen people collecting welfare and food stamps that drive cars that are more than i can afford. Oh and then there is the person on food stamps that eats steaks lobster and any other high priced food when i can barely afford hamburger. I have applied for food stamps in the past because i am going to school and out of work with no unemployment anymore and was told that we make on my husbands paycheck 10.00 a month to much. I would have no problem with the drug testing, you get tested when you work so why not when you don’t.
Since soo many are enraged over working to pay welfare tax-could someone please lay out some figures.I just wondered if anyone has an approx $figure an individual’s taxes go to for welfare in one year’s earnings.I know it goes to alot of things,can someone find a rough est.? Thanks
When a drug testing law is implemented by an employer they must provide treatment if a person wants it. So, first take away the children. Care for them first. This is a must. Then send the offender to treatment if they desire. Yes, there are grave responsibilities that must be borne by the taxpayer.
I am probably the only one that has never been on state assistance and still disagrees with the drug testing. i agree whole heartedly that something needs to be done to stop the abuse of both drugs and welfare but i cant see how it will help. for one, who is going to pay for it? us taxpayers. another, once a person has been tested they know they can go score the dope that day knowing they wont be getting tested again for a while. realistically can any state afford to test the same person more than once a month? they know they will have a least a month to party after being tested. havent you ever noticed junkies seem to know how to beat the system, most are masters of theft,lies and manipulation. they never seem to get in trouble for the crimes of selling or using. products are available at stores to pass a drug test. and for those of us that take tests to get a job and for those that get random tests to keep their jobs it is not being done to collect money, it is being done for safety purposes. the companies pay for that not the tax payers. so if a company wants to spend the money to ensure the safety in their company let them, i personally dont want to pay for the testing of users that will find a way to still use. i want to spend my tax dollars on assurance of a fool proof way. like not putting cash in their hands. take the food allowance currently given and give it to food banks to stock the hell up and then let them get their food there. i work at sams club, everyday someone uses ebt for steak and lobster. oh hell no, get a job if you want to eat like that. i had one member come thru with two full carts, she was hosting a 4th of july block party. nice huh? i should have been invited. i helped pay for it! give them utility and rent vouchers, not cash. and give them one year. thats enough time to get a job. just sayin…
@ Renee. The whole point of drug testing should be done randomly like they do at work. Also, drug testing has advanced so much that they detect masking agents now. I work in HR and conduct these drug testing policies and it’s not just for safety but also morality. A company doesn’t want to promote the use of drugs and there are employee assistance programs to address such issues. I think the government should adhere to the same standards. It would teach a person who is out of work to keep up the same lifestyle as they would if they were employed. In the case of being smart and functioning, you can be smart for only so long. You will eventually slip and get caught. There are precautions to put in place like what Alex suggested. With all the other contributors, I agree with you and drug use goes hand in hand with unemployment in unskilled jobs. The highly skllled positions are hard to come by right now but I can assure you that the unskilled positions in manual labor are in full swing. Of all my terminations I’ve conducted due to positive drug results and the worst experience I’ve witnessed was the employee whipping out a cel phone saying that she will be off for a while because she’s planning to spend the next few months hanging out at home because she can get back on food stamps and rent assistance.
Three words for people concerned about drug abusers’ children: Child Protective Services
Who cares what people put into their own bodies, that’s their choice. To all of you that try to justify this by saying something as ignorant as “I get tested at work so they should be tested for Welfare benefits”; You cannot justify one bad thing by comparing it to another. If you continue to make arguments like that, obviously your only going to make everything EQUALLY unjust. We have the Pursuit of Happiness in America, that means if someone wants to do drugs to be happy then who cares, let them, that’s their choice to make, you should not be trying to control that. However, it’s true that it is unfair to ask taxpayers to contribute to someone’s drug habits with their own money. Which is exactly why Alex had the right idea in saying that the money should be deposited onto a card that can only be used at certain places. This way, taxpayers money is not being wasted on other people’s drug habits, while at the same time, people can maintain their privacy. I know that drugs aren’t “socially acceptable” and so many of you will disagree with this.. but who cares about what’s socially acceptable, this law isn’t supposed to be for people who have something against drugs to show their disapproval for drug abusers, it’s so that taxpayers money is not wasted on drugs. I have given a solution for that problem that doesn’t involve an invasion of privacy, this way, everyone is happy.
This is just prejudice against the poor… plain and simple, and it will open up Pandora’s Box. All you are really saying is that for every dollar you spend on govt. assistance, the recipient will have an extra dollar they could use to buy drugs or alcohol. You should keep this in mind, every homeowner in the country get a mortgage interest deduction, and that deduction is a govt. handout, just like welfare… do you think it would be fair to ask every homeowner to take random drug tests or lose their mortgage interest deduction? Of course not… even though that mortgage interest deduction gives homeowners the extra cash they need to buy the booze for their Super Bowl parties. Face it, it’s unfair to single out the poor…
I agree 100%. The governments motive is just, but they are only pointing the finger at one small group that recieves government money. Poor or not, they are only a minority of benefit recievers. It seems to me a kind of prejudice to strike only one group and to allow the others the right to judge and not be judged.
why cant we just poison the worlds drug supply and get rid of them all
I grew up in a household that depended on welfare, and I am 100% behind the bill to drug test recipients. My parents never had money for food but sure as heck never went without their many drugs of choice. All the money they spent on drugs could have been spent on caring for their family, but they didn’t need to do that with the crutch of welfare. There are many people on welfare who do not do drugs, and many who do. Drug testing is absolutely fair and should be done in every state. For those who think it is no one’s business if someone wants to do drugs. Wrong! No way should people be allowed to support their families with tax dollars, while they spend their own money to support their drug habit. Yes, there are already alot of children in the system and if we remove more children from homes that will cost more tax dollars. Maybe the money saved by drug testing welfare recipients can be used to save these children from the bad situations society should be protecting them from. I feel a hell of a lot better about my tax dollars taking children from a drug filled environment than I do about supporting their parents addiction.
I think that all this drug testing is going to open new doors 4 people. I mean that people if smoking pot might fing a nother drug that might not say in there system as long just saying to me I thing thing r going to get worse.