Should welfare recipients be drug tested to receive government benefits?

All welfare recipients should tested for illegal drug use prior to being given welfare assistance.

It wouldn't help you as a fellow tax payer or us as an economy.

1. The cost to do the tests.

2. The drug enforcement that this will bring isn't there.

3. Any government would be incapable of doing it properly. I.e. contracts and lawsuits.

4. The financial loss of the claimants will be passed on somewhere else, crime, dealing to feed etc.

5. The usa and uk governments now class prostitution and drug dealing as trades when they talk about the economy, so cut the demand will mean higher taxes eventually.

The list goes on but there at the top... I know it's not right.

It seems there is some misinformation about Florida drug testing of welfare applicants.

Estimated taxpayer savings from drug related denials for the first quarter was $1.8 Million, not what I would call a failure.

Please use the hyperlinks to the sources I quote below.

keep in mind that the only ones allowed to be tested (by law) are those applying for cash assistance, so they have NO income.

No income, but test dirty for drugs.

They wouldn't be using their money for drugs, it would be our money.

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"Welfare drug testing" refers only to TANF parents of TANF children (TANF = cash assistance), it is not an entitlement program.

It violates federal law to drug test for food stamps, Medicaid, WIC, other welfare programs.

The case of Florida is often cited by liberals, (with much misinformation) and a fine example of what occurs with current federal laws.

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Beginning in July 2011, Florida began requiring adults who were otherwise eligible for welfare cash assistance to submit a negative drug test before receiving benefits. Since the program has been in effect for a full quarter, this report looks at the state’s experience during these first three months, and updates projections of the law’s likely fiscal impact during the first full year of operation. The program is currently subject to a lawsuit in federal court filed by the ACLU of Florida challenging the constitutionality of this requirement, which is explicitly allowed by federal law.

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS

• 48% drop in cash assistance approvals since drug test requirement

The impact of drug testing for welfare cash assistance is having a dramatic impact on approvals for cash assistance. Approvals for September 2011 (for cash assistance applicants for eligible adults subject to the drug testing requirement) were 62 percent lower than September 2010 and 48 percent lower than in June 2011, the month before the drug testing requirement took effect.

This reduction is exclusive to cash assistance. Food Stamps and Medicaid approvals are consistent with levels seen throughout 2010 and to date in 2011.

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In the first quarter, 7,028 applicants completed the drug test and tested negative for drug use, completing their eligibility requirements for welfare cash assistance. Of these 7,028 approved applicants, only 2,163 adults (from 1,971 families) requested and received reimbursement for their drug testing fees. That means just 28 percent of approved applicants have requested and received reimbursement in the first quarter. Average reimbursement per adult is $26.78 with a total of $57,920.95 in testing fees reimbursed.

http://www.floridafga.org/2011/10/floridas-drug-te...

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"In the last line they (newspapers) do admit that there are about 800 and some people who refuse to take the drug test," he said, "which tells me if you add 'em all together there's 1,000 people out there on drugs. Nine out of ten of them are smart enough not to take the drug test."

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Who started their application but didn’t take the test: Kreegel said 800 or so people walked away before taking the drug test. The department reported a number nearly three times as high -- 2,306.

We asked the department if it had any way to know why people didn’t take the test.

"There is no way to determine why someone did not take the test," said Joe Follick, DCF spokesman. "We did not have the capacity or legal authority to survey each applicant's decision-making process."

http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2012/...

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No. States that have tried it have spent INSANE amounts of money, and found very, very few users. People with no money CAN'T buy drugs.

Furthermore, all drug tests have a false-positive rate. So you'd be starving many children whose parents aren't even drug users at all. The false positives are MORE COMMON than the true positives.

You just asked one very (tax paying) expensive question.

And you would have to pay for all that drug testing.

No - but I think all gun owners should be regularly tested along with religious leaders (so many sermons sound like the minister was on LSD)

No. If it's about concern over how their government benefits are spent, I'm sure you're then in favor of testing recipients of disability, or Social Security, or veterans benefits, or unemployment benefits, or farm loans.

No? Why not?

Fun fact: In the states where this has happened, the percentage of welfare recipients found to be positive for drugs was less than the national average among non-recipients. In other words, they do drugs LESS than the average citizen.

**** no, they should just give them some work. There are so many things that need to be done, make em work.

Absolutely, and i also think that all wel fare recipients should submit a recipt of all of there spending.

Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients and Public Assistance .... reasons can designate a protective payee to receive benefits on behalf of the child(ren). ... Assistance Program (SNAP, also formerly known as food stamps),