Preview

Mandatory Drug Testing for Public Assistance

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1800 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mandatory Drug Testing for Public Assistance
Public Assistance is government aid to needy, aged, or disabled persons and to dependent children (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). All public assistance applicants should be required to take a mandatory drug test before they can qualify to receive any form of public assistance. Drug tests can detect a number of different illegal substances like, marijuana, steroids, amphetamines, cocaine, PCP, and opiates. “More than 22 million Americans age 12 and older - nearly 9% of the U.S. population - use illegal drugs, according to the government’s 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health”(CNN). One should never feel they are entitled to public assistance, it should be felt as more of a privilege. Sadly, in the last ten years, our economy has unfortunately depreciated rapidly. The economy is so bad at this point, that it can be very difficult to find employment. For some, it can be impossible, especially if uneducated. The result is that more people, now than ever, are applying for public assistance. The amount of public assistance being paid for food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is so high, it is imperative that we find a way to fix this situation to prevent so many people from taking advantage of something others in this world so desperately need and rely on to survive, not to feed their addictions.
This money can, and it should be used for something so much better. For example, the money that the applicant would have received considering they passed the drug test should be used to rehabilitate the individual. Addiction is a compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be physically, psychologically, or socially harmful (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Assuming, that our public assistance programs could get mandatory drug



Cited: “Public Assistance”. Merriam-Webster.com. 2011. http://www.merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, if you accessed it on (27 February 2013). “Addiction”. Merriam-Webster.com. 2011. http://www.merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, if you accessed it on (27 February 2013). Coolican, J. P. "OPINION: If Goal is Recovery, Why Stop Drug Testing at Welfare Recipients?" McClatchy - Tribune Business News Feb 08 2013. Ox Research; ProQuest Central; ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Whether or not a drug test is required by recipients of welfare has been questioned time and time again by many states. In the article "No drug test, no welfare", Kimberly Yee expands upon on this question by explaining what her stand point is on the many advantages of drug testing for welfare. In this particular article, Ms. Yee does not sufficiently argue her position on the subject of welfare recipients taking drug test to receive benefits.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ok, let's all look at this as realistically as we can; if just 1 person failed a drug test for the welfare, that's a whole extra few hundred dollars per month that our government can save, and that's only for 1 person! A typical drug test cost around $10 for the cheaper ones. That's store price too, that's not considering what government contracter bulk…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The savings assume that 20 to 30 people — 2 percent of 1,000 to 1,500 tested — fail the drug test every month. On average, a welfare recipient costs the state $134 in monthly benefits, which the rejected applicants won’t get, saving the state $2,680-$3,350 per month. But since one failed test disqualifies an applicant for a full year’s worth of benefits, the state could save $32,200-$48,200 annually on the applicants rejected in a single month. Net savings to the state — $3,400 to $8,200 annually on one month’s worth of rejected applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on all rejected applicants would add up to $40,800-$98,400 for the cash assistance program that state analysts have predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year. In other words, in one year, the program will likely at most save the state 0.06 percent of the overall welfare budget. Governor Scott’s argument behind fighting for the new law was that welfare recipients are much more likely to be using drugs…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Points of View Reference Center, Florida’s mandatory drug testing program cost the state more than one hundred and eighteen thousand dollars, which was forty thousand dollars more than they would have gave to welfare recipients (View). In this case mandatory drug testing are useless because it will be a waste of money. The second part of this position will be if the recipient does fail a drug test he/she and family will no longer receive government aid. Which may result in the ex-recipient to act in illegal activities to provide for their…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Substance abuse issues have long been part of public assistance policy discussions. States have proposed drug testing of applicants and recipients of public welfare benefits since federal welfare reform in 1996. The federal rules permit drug testing as part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. In recent years, nearly all states have proposed some form of drug testing or screening for applicants.(Rector). Welfare projects ought to be intended to advance independence among capable grown-ups and to discourage reliance on the government.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There is much debate regarding this issue. Supporters of requiring drug tests for welfare applicants believe that there will be many people deterred from applying due to knowing they will not pass. They also believe that some will fail the drug tests. These supporters believe this number of people will be so large that there will be a significant decrease in welfare spending. Other supporters have said “substance abuse is a prominent barrier preventing people from making the necessary transition from governmental dependence to self-reliance.”(Targeted News Service) Opponents have said this is a direct violation of our constitutional rights as American citizens. Some have even said it is not right to assume that just because people are poor, they drug users. Other opposers of welfare drug testing have argued that it will not save money at…

    • 1822 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Drug testing has its pros and cons. One pro is that it would immediately take off any drug users who could use the money for drugs or other illegal substances; adding to that, it would give people the motivation to stay off drugs for themselves and their families if they want to still receive government benefits. Some people look at it like, if people are getting jobs have to get drug tested, why don’t the people receiving welfare have to?”(HRF, 2014). One of the cons for drug testing is that people feel like it is discrimination against the poor. The poor believe that higher up people who are considered rich aren’t required to take a drug test (HRF,…

    • 1965 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    If mandatory drug testing were implemented, fewer checks would be used to purchase illegal drugs, and be used for necessary items instead. When a person is addicted to drugs, it consumes the individual’s life. The person becomes obsessed with the drug they are addicted to; it becomes more important to them, than, food, family and even their own well-being. This behavior puts them and everyone under their care at risk. If a welfare recipient has children and they use the money meant to feed their children for drugs; not only has our government paid for someone’s high, but the child will now go without food. On the flipside, if mandatory random drug testing was part of the process, we would be able to identify abusers and have their children placed where they can be cared for more effectively. This may help the next generation not to follow in their parent’s footsteps. In identifying this type of behavior, we may be able to save not only the children, but the abusers as well.…

    • 704 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The need for welfare among society today has become increasingly large. Although the need for welfare is rapidly increasing, so is the use of drugs. This is posing as a major problem for the welfare programs. Welfare programs are now trying to put into place a new qualification where any possible recipients of welfare are required to take a drug test. For the most part, welfare recipients respect the requirements of their contract with the agency. The drug testing will just be used to eliminate any persons taking advantage of the welfare program for inappropriate use and to ensure that the welfare will go to the people who are actually in need of it. While many are more than willing to take the drug tests, there are also quite a few who are very reluctant toward this new qualification. In order to decide whether or not drug testing is a logical and fair requirement, all the pros and cons need to be laid out on the table.…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drug testing welfare recipients has been a major topic across the United States for a few years now. Many argue that if working class people are subject to a test prior to hire or randomly during the length of employment, why should those that don’t have to work for money not have the same treatment? Invasion of privacy is a huge disadvantage on the government’s part, yes it is free money but that doesn’t entitle anyone, even government, to control every aspect of your life or hold it constantly over a person’s head until they feel guilt or just flat decline assistance. Let’s ask ourselves just one question; if you went to the bank for a car loan, being this is a necessity for everyday living to own, how would you feel if they asked you to take a drug test prior to lending you the money? I feel many peoples’ tune would change drastically.…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1.) Having to pass a random drug test could prove to be served as an incentive to welfare recipients to terminate masses of drug abuse…

    • 2713 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The legal foundation for suspicionless student drug testing rests upon Vernonia v. Acton (1995). In that landmark decision, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a school policy requiring student athletes to pass random urinalysis tests as a ground for participation in interscholastic sports. The Court rejected a Fourth Amendment claim asserting that such tests are an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. Closely watched nationwide, the decision effectively opened the door for school districts to institute similar policies of their own.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As of today, over sixteen percent of Americans are receiving some form of welfare benefits. “Welfare is classified as a statutory procedure or social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material well-being of people in need”: Welfare is provided by the government, both state and federal. (http://dictionary.com/browse/welfare) The government receives the money from the taxpayers in order to support welfare recipients. Tax payers are the working class. Seventy-five percent of citizens that are among the social class, also known as the working class, are required to take pre-employment drug screening. When citizens receive welfare; however, they are not required to take drug screenings, even though they receive the funds from the government. Drug tests for welfare recipients will be one way to start saving money in this country.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    But it shouldn’t be stereotyped to only people who have a history of drug abuse. Because anyone could be a drug abuser but some people just got busted in their drug use earlier than others. Granting any financial assistance to the poor individuals with drug addictions, proponents contend, does little to help them. Giving financial aid is only enabling them. We shouldn’t pay for someone welfare because they choose to be lazy. If we can work they should work to, and if they choose to suffer than that’s on them. We shouldn’t have to get our paychecks shortened to pay some one who wants to not work. We got up and put the over time in so we could get some extra not to pay someone who wants to do nothing with their life. On the other hand opponents argue that drug testing is uncalled…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The United States welfare system is corrupt. This problem is known by taxpayers all too well. Welfare is a very helpful system to those less fortunate; however, it has been directed away from what its original purpose was and is now available to most anyone. Too many individuals take the benefits given to them and unfairly use them. If certain regulations were to be set in place, many abusers of the system would stop taking advantage. Drug testing should be required in order to receive welfare benefits because drug testing would aid in stopping drug use, because able-bodied recipients would be pushed to look for jobs, and because most working citizens are required to take drug tests in order to work.…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics