Against Drug Testing for Welfare
Ryan Rodriguez
Mr. Livingston
Modern Problems
6 May 2014
Against Drug Testing For Welfare The uprising of unemployment and welfare is exceeding previous predictions and not many states are keeping up with them. Drug testing for welfare is unconstitutional and unfair because not everyone abuses the system. Not everyone uses the money they get for drugs. Some families really need the money while others use it for their own selfish needs instead of the needs of their families. Drug testing only leads to spending more money than its worth. An editorial in a USA Today article took a hard look at the recent push to drug-test applicants for public assistance across the country. They agreed that, "Until states can come up with a smarter way to ferret out the abusers while protecting children, the testing craze will be just another program that appeals to stereotypes in hard economic times while producing little value in the real world." As USA Today argues, there 's little evidence that programs to drug-test applicants and recipients of benefits are necessary in places where these programs have been implemented, few people have tested positive. And if the goal is to save states money, they fail on that count too states save very little compared to the upfront costs of implementing testing programs. Not to mention, these programs perpetuate the inaccurate notion that poor people use drugs more than others and single them out for unconstitutional privacy violations. Sadly about 20 states have implemented drug testing for welfare but they are gradually realizing how wasteful and unfair it really is so they are starting to take away the tests. Right now, in American politics, money is obviously quite tight—and welfare testing is incredibly expensive. It involves overseeing every individual who participates in the welfare system. It also involves synchronizing this with other large systems of government data, such as crime history, type of welfare received, etc. A
Mr. Livingston
Modern Problems
6 May 2014
Against Drug Testing For Welfare The uprising of unemployment and welfare is exceeding previous predictions and not many states are keeping up with them. Drug testing for welfare is unconstitutional and unfair because not everyone abuses the system. Not everyone uses the money they get for drugs. Some families really need the money while others use it for their own selfish needs instead of the needs of their families. Drug testing only leads to spending more money than its worth. An editorial in a USA Today article took a hard look at the recent push to drug-test applicants for public assistance across the country. They agreed that, "Until states can come up with a smarter way to ferret out the abusers while protecting children, the testing craze will be just another program that appeals to stereotypes in hard economic times while producing little value in the real world." As USA Today argues, there 's little evidence that programs to drug-test applicants and recipients of benefits are necessary in places where these programs have been implemented, few people have tested positive. And if the goal is to save states money, they fail on that count too states save very little compared to the upfront costs of implementing testing programs. Not to mention, these programs perpetuate the inaccurate notion that poor people use drugs more than others and single them out for unconstitutional privacy violations. Sadly about 20 states have implemented drug testing for welfare but they are gradually realizing how wasteful and unfair it really is so they are starting to take away the tests. Right now, in American politics, money is obviously quite tight—and welfare testing is incredibly expensive. It involves overseeing every individual who participates in the welfare system. It also involves synchronizing this with other large systems of government data, such as crime history, type of welfare received, etc. A
Cited: "Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients: Con." The Concordian. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. "Editorial: Drug-Testing Welfare Applicants Nets Little." Aclu.org. N.p., 20 Mar. 2012. Web.