Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Essay

United States lawmakers face one of the most pressing issues of our time-welfare reform. New screening processes, often considered a direct violation of constitutional rights, have already been enacted in many states. Strong evidence exists, asserting that the practice of administering drug testing to welfare recipients will cost the U.S. taxpayers more money in the long run, stigmatize applicants and participants, and serve only the purpose of making the pharmaceutical companies more powerful. In order to protect the constitutional rights of potential welfare recipients, United States lawmakers should avoid further criminalizing the poor by submitting them to drug testing and/or a

Furthermore, the concern is directed to the wellbeing of the children of the recipients who do not fulfill program requirements. Thankfully, the NCSL also explains that those who are deemed ineligible for not completely the programs can “designate a protective payee to receive benefits on behalf of the child(ren)”(National Conference of State Legislatures, 2014). In summary, drug testing welfare recipients will enable families to do two things: feed their children and get help for the parent or guardian who is abusing substances.

Elizabeth Lower-Basch, a senior policy analyst for CLASP, estimates that the government cost of catching a drug abuser may run between $20,000 and $77,000 per individual, and cites the ACLU’s use of a 1992 Cornell University report on private employer drug testing as an example. Using Ms. Lower-Basch’s estimation of the cost of an individual drug test, administered by a third party however, the immediate cost is negligible in comparison. Ms. Lower-Basch states one drug test costs between $20 and $80. As an example, if Indiana were to test 1,000 TANF recipients, and all of them passed, the maximum immediate cost would be $80,000. Based on Michigan’s statistical rate of 10 percent drug use, we could expect 100 failed screens, which eliminate those individuals from receiving benefits for six months. The average TANF recipient receives $269 per month, for a total of $1614 per person saved during the disqualification period. If you multiply $1614 by 100 recipients, the government would be saving a net amount of $89,400 over six months even after paying out the $72,000 to the individuals that passed their screens.

Another clause in this bill states that if the applicant participates in a substance abuse program and does not test positive for at least half a year, they may continue to receive entitlements (Kelly, 2013). While the general opinion is that drug testing applicants will lower the number of recipients defrauding the government, most of the analysis that have been conducted for a one to two year timeframe show little improvements on the number of personnel receiving welfare benefits. In fact, most have shown that only a small percentage (2%) of recipients are failing the drug screening (Grovum, 2014). In other studies, such as the one conducted in Utah, documented that well over $30,000 was spent administering drug test to applicants (Grovum, 2014). The results showed that only 2.6% tested positive for illegal substance use (Grovum, 2014).

The process of drug testing individuals who are applying or receiving welfare benefits has recently become the focus of a widely spread controversy. Florida, the first state to pass the law, now requires all individuals applying for public assistance to undergo drug testing. The state of Kentucky, among others, have considered following this trend. State lawmakers hope to prevent the squandering of taxpayer dollars on drugs by proposing similar guidelines. Alabama’s states representative Kerry Rich clearly affirmed his state’s position on the matter, “I don’t think the taxpayers should have to help fund somebody’s drug habit” (qtd. in Time).

In his article, “Should Recipients Be Tested for Drugs?” David Vitter talks about the issue of drug testing people who are on welfare in the US. Vitter believes that annually drug-testing recipients of welfare will stop people from using the money to support their drug habits. He further believes that those who are using drugs and test positive as a result can then get the help that they need.

The main argument for those who want this drug testing to take place is that it would save taxpayers money (Miran, 2015). They feel that by drug testing applicants and/or receivers of welfare, they will weed out those who are drug abusers. That being said, their money wouldn’t be ‘wasted’ on those who ‘don’t deserve it’. They also somehow feel that if this policy were put into place, people wouldn’t abuse drugs. They

There were a total of three dozen states that considered drug testing recipients. Those states included but are not limited to: Michigan, Maine, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Scott (2011), " In Michigan, drug tests are only to be administered to recipients only if there are reasonable suspicions of abuse”. A reasonable suspicion would include the odor of marijuana, paranoia, and the drastic loss of weight without and evidence of a weight loss plan or health relation. Money given to families by the government for financial support should not be taken away from the home to buy illegal drugs. There are roughly 30 million Americans receiving welfare in the United States. The Ohio Legislators believe that the idea of passing a drug test is a popular way to cut down on fraud, waste, and abuse (Milliken, 2011). Florida is the only state that actually passed a law on drug testing welfare recipients. All the other state proposed a bill for the testing but recanted. Sulzberger  (2011), “In Florida, people receiving cash assistance through welfare have had to pay for their own drug tests since July, and enrollment has shrunk to its lowest levels since the start of the recession”. Florida’s

The United States has many welfare programs, such a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), that provide social welfare payments to those in need. Welfare recipients statistically have a higher potential to use illicit drugs, making it more difficult to secure a job. Often, these benefits are abused by drug users those who lack the ability or motivation to find employment and become self-sufficient. Incorporating drug testing into the welfare systems allows the government to provide those with drug addictions the needed treatment and suspend the benefits from those who continue to use drug and test positive after treatment. In the long run, there will be a costs savings

“If you have enough money to be able to buy drugs, then you don't need public assistance.” Said by Jerry Sonnenberg. For years now many people have wonder why the government doesn't do drug testing when applying for welfare. Many say it's not worth spending government money on, however if the government did do drug testing it could save the government money. I believe that drug testing welfare recipients would benefit our state in different ways. I feel that if the state was to make drug testing mandatory then it would help to prevent welfare fraud. Also it could possibly save the state money in paying out welfare payments. It could possibly weed out the people that

The fate of a proposition to drug tests in Indiana welfare beneficiaries in in doubt after the provision’s creator formally pulled back his support and the state organization would control the system and it would cost $2.3 million during the next two years. However, that is after taking of consideration $213,000 in foreseen funds expecting that 5 percent of those tested fail and are temporarily removed from the program. Also, it was mentioned that this program would help stem a HIV outbreak which would be brought into play by sharing needles among drug abusers. According to state officials, just around 9,400 adults get installments or accept them in the interest of children, statewide and around 17,000 children get the advantage. If TANF beneficiaries fail a drug test, they would have a chance to get counseling. In any case, if they keep on failing drug screenings after counseling, they would be ineligible for welfare advantages for no less than three months. Beneficiaries would be in charge of the expense of counseling and positive drug tests. The drug testings proposition could accelerate an already steep decrease in the quantity of Indiana TANF beneficiaries. Normal installments are less than $90 a month for each beneficiary. Supporters of such drug testing measures say they help keep open help from being spent of unlawful

Price, Michelle L. "Utah's Welfare Drug Testing Saved More than $350,000 in First Year, Officials Say." Deseret News. Ed. Michelle L. Price. Associated Press, 8 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.

There has been an ongoing controversy as to whether welfare recipients should have to have drug testing done. Drug testing will ensure that recipients will not abuse the money they’re given by the government. Having people on welfare take drug test is advantageous because it could save the system money, it would help social workers identify children who are around drug abuse, and it would deter people from purchasing and using illegal drugs; however, it does have a downside such as people who are on prescription medication will show false positives, it can be an invasion of privacy and drug testing can take hundreds and even thousands of dollars to administer.

Although testing for welfare often receives backlash there is information that it would decrease drug abuse, that people deserve to know where their money is going, and it would ultimately save money.

United States lawmakers face one of the most pressing issues of our time-welfare reform. New screening processes, often considered a direct violation of constitutional rights, have already been enacted in many states. Strong evidence exists, asserting that the practice of administering drug testing to welfare recipients will cost the U.S. taxpayers more money in the long run, stigmatize applicants and participants, and serve only the purpose of making the pharmaceutical companies more powerful. In order to protect the constitutional rights of potential welfare recipients, United States lawmakers should avoid further criminalizing the poor by submitting them to drug testing and/or a nationwide welfare registry.