Some States May Require Random Drug Tests for People Receiving ...

Some states propose cutting public assistance benefits for drug users. Will mandatory drug tests become law? Welfare and Drug Abuse As the number of people receiving welfare, food stamps and unemployment compensation increases, the state legislatures of West Virginia and at least 7 other states are proposing legislation requiring recipients to take ...

[sparks_red]

IMO I think this is a good idea. I know that when there has been sweeps in my county there was a good percentage of the welfae recipients brought in that were positive for drugs. These were parents with children that were using the money for drugs instead of feeding their children.

I am subjected to random testing in my career field so should it be any different for recipients of government programs? I would think that the government could get a special pricing discount on the rapid tests and hire a lab tech/nurse to run it. If the recipient fails then you can do a send out.

[JCG2012]

Here is what that future sounds like:

"Congress is considering adding Nicotine as a banned substance for welfare recipients, as an anonymous staffer said,'if the can afford the luxury of cigarettes, they don't need benefits'.

...also in welfare benefits discussion,
should the monthly ration of alcohol be raised to one one liter...."

[valtierra]

As the number of people receiving welfare, food stamps and unemployment compensation increases, the state legislatures of West Virginia and at least 7 other states are proposing legislation requiring recipients to take random drug tests.
we this done in el paso,tx

[SAGIRAH HASAN]

I BELIVE THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, BECAUSE NO ONE SHOULD RECIEVE ANY BENIFITS THAT WORKING CITIZENS PAY MONEY INTO. IF PERSONNEL ARE NOT USING DRUGS, THEY SHOULD NOT WORRY. I AM ALSO, FOR THIS BECAUSE I SEE ALLOT OF PEOPLE IN THE MORNING, AND DURING NORMAL WORKING HOURS IN THE STEETS HANGING OUT. WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS? DRUG TEST THEM ALL!!!

[Okie Lobbyist]

I have thought long and hard about this issue since it was first brought up to me by a gentleman with whom I talk politics regularly.

I'm not a big fan of drug testing as I think it's an invasion of privacy, but I understand its necessity. If an airline pilot is shooting up in the cockpit and has the plane on autopilot, then, by all that's holy, please catch him and remove him from his duties.

Receiving assistance is hard on some people. I have had to do so in the past and it absolutely was the most embarrassing thing I've ever had to do. I think assistance should be available as there are many cases where it is truly necessary. I don't want children to starve because of some ideological opposition to welfare. Opinions should not trump whether a child eats. Ever.

That being said, I think drug testing should be performed for those accepting assistance. For anyone who comes up positive, I think they should be given assistance for one month and referred to free drug counseling programs. If the recipient does not follow the drug program or tests positive, then all assistance stops. If that person has children, then DHS should be notified so they can intervene and make sure the children are cared for on a moments notice. There should be policies and procedures in place that will allow for the person to reattain custody if all requirements are met.

The problem I see with this is the one that plagues all such programs: MONEY!!! Who will run the testing program? Who will insure that all procedures are followed? Who will do follow-up on individual cases? The logistics would be a nightmare, but they are doable. They would just have to be implemented very, very carefully and diligently as we would be dealing with people's lives.

[AKB]

Drug tests will be ineffective because when you have a free medical card you can claim you have chronic pain and a doctor will prescribe you the narcotics you need or want. My brother quit his job to live on welfare he was healthy but the day he quit his job he qualified for general assistance, He lied to collect cash and I reported him, no punishment just stopped sending him cash. Thank god he could google doctors because when Rochester mayo clinic refused to operate on his back. He seriously had to shop for doctors because for the first year and a half most specialists kept referring him to see a shrink. They were concerned he was a drug addict. Welfare does not care that the first ten doctors think all you need is a shrink and that you have to drive out of state to find a doctor who will operate on you. He actually did not care that he got busted on the cash assistance fraud because his ticket to spending every day partying and neglecting his kids came with his medical card! His big dream is to collect social security. The problem with that is social security had doctors look him over head to toe and he was healthy. They also noticed his job history which he only worked every other year and he only got a job because he was in-danger of going to jail for not paying child support. Well as long as he keeps getting doctors notes he can stay on welfare and not go to jail for not paying child support. He stopped seeing his kids because he meets people on line to get high with and drunk with every day. My brother actually upgraded from pot he could barely afford to narcotics prescribed by a doctor.