Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients

562 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Drug testing welfare recipients persuasive

In 2005, the Personal Responsibility, Work, and Promotion Act was amended by a house subcommittee to cut federal welfare funding to any state that did not drug test those applying for welfare benefits. Similar bills have been introduced in Kansas, Missouri, and West Virginia. Arizona has a limited drug testing program and some conservative politicians are still pushing for more regulations on drug testing (Haerens 1). Having family members that have received government assistance in the past and knowing their background with drug use, I believe it would be good if the regulations were stricter about testing for drug use and taking corrective action. Drug testing should be required for welfare recipients to ensure help is being provided to those who truly need it, to be sure that tax dollars aren’t going to irresponsible drug users, and because the working class already has to, so they should too. More drug testing should be used for welfare recipients because it would help ensure help is going to those who truly need it. If someone fails, it doesn’t mean they would stop receiving assistance, they would just have to prove that it’s prescribed by a physician (Haerens 1). They can enroll in a rehab center or correctional facility of some sort and continue to receive welfare while overcoming they drug abuse. Some people honestly do need it to support their families but others just use it to play the system and spend the money on drugs (Haerens 1). Drug testing welfare recipients would also help people be sure that their tax dollars aren’t going to irresponsible drug users. It’s important for people to know that their money is going to a good cause and the people it goes to are using it for the right reason. Five foundations near th... ... middle of paper ... ...f hand. “Drug testing remains a common yet contentious issue in welfare policy discussions among lawmakers and policy makers” (Haerens 1). Works Cited "Preface to 'What Are Some Alternatives and Improvements to the Welfare System?'." Welfare. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2014. "States Consider Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients." Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly 21.8 (2009): 4-6. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. "Welfare Programs Should Include Mandatory Drug Testing." Welfare. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2014. "Welfare Recipients In Florida Must Take Drug Tests Under New Law." Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly 23.22 (2011): 3-4. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • The United States Welfare System

    1652 Words  | 4 Pages

    Issitt, Micah, L. Flynn. "Welfare: An Overview." Points Of View: Welfare (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 5 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • Social Welfare System Mini-Paper

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    This mini-paper will discuss the social welfare system. The mini-paper includes a discussion of welfare Policy, residual and institutional approach, and what is Social Welfare and Social Security. Midgely, (2009), pointed out that social welfare systems deliver services that facilitate and empower our society, especially to those persons who require assistance in meeting their basic human needs. The goal of social welfare is to provide social services to citizens from diverse cultures, and examples include Medicare, Medicaid, and food benefits. Midgley,( 2009).

    Read More

  • Linda Gordon's Welfare System

    303 Words  | 1 Pages

    Linda Gordon's article is thoughtful, insightful and highly relevant. As governments slash poverty relief programs at all levels and as welfare-bashing reaches an all-time high, it is instructive to take a step back and look at how the current system developed.

    Read More

  • One Nation On Welfare By Michael Grunwald Summary

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    When speaking about Welfare we try to avoid it, turning welfare into an unacceptable word. In the Article “One Nation On Welfare. Living Your Life On The Dole” by Michael Grunwald, his point is to not just only show but prove to the readers that the word Welfare is not unacceptable or to avoid it but embrace it and take advantage of it. After reading this essay Americans will see the true way of effectively understanding the word welfare, by absorbing his personal experiences, Facts and Statistics, and the repetition Grunwald conveys.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Welfare Reform

    2400 Words  | 5 Pages

    O?Beirne, Kate. ?The State of Welfare: An old and tricky question resurfaces.? National Review 54.2 (February 11, 2002): 1--2. Online. Information Access Expanded

    Read More

  • Mandatory Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients and Public Assistance

    2059 Words  | 5 Pages

    "States Consider Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients." FoxNews.com - Breaking News | Latest News | Current News. 26 March 2009. Web. 31 January 2011

    Read More

  • Should Welfare Recipients Be Drug Tested?

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    , implying that because they are poor, they must be drug addicts. However, individuals that support the law, express that the plan being put in effect is to ensure that tax payer’s money isn’t being thrown away on people who only plan to abuse this assistance. Out of the fifty states, only nine have proceeded with the drug testing of candidates. The drug testing has proven to be quite expensive. Consequently, some of the states only test subjects with whom they find suspicion, or that have admitted to drug use in the past. Though the proposal of drug testing Welfare applicants appears to be a good idea to weed out spongers from getting assistance, it seems that more money may be wasted on the testing itself, which would be imprudent in proving this law worthwhile.

    Read More

  • The Food Stamp Problem in the USA and Fingerprinting its Recipients

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    In an attempt to ensure that food stamps were being used only by those in need of food stamps, there were a few states that implemented a fingerprinting program for food stamp recipients. The fingerprinting program was introduced with the hopes of cracking down on the fraud associated with the food stamp program. The goal was to save tax-payer’s money as well as enforce that those individuals needin...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Welfare Reform

    1609 Words  | 4 Pages

    In today’s America, there are many people who would either be disgusted at the very mention of Welfare or be highly grateful for its existence. I believe that in order for welfare to be more effective in America, there must be reform. From the time of its inceptions in 1935, welfare has lent a helping hand to many in crisis (Constitution Rights Foundation). However, at present many programs within the system are being abused and the people who are in real need are being cheated out of assistance. The year after the creation of welfare unemployment was just about twenty percent (Unemployment Statistics). The need for basic resources to survive was unparallel. Today, many people face the same needs as many did during the 30s. Some issues with

    Read More

  • Welfare Recipients Drug Tested

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Should Welfare Recipients Be Drug Tested?

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is an ongoing debate over whether or not welfare recipients should be drug tested to receive the benefits. Both sides of the argument have merit. Those who oppose the idea of drug testing say that it is unconstitutional and violates the Fourth Amendment. Furthermore, they claim that this law stereotypes and discriminates against those from low socioeconomic demographics, implying that because they are poor, they must be drug addicts. However, those who support the law note that its intended purpose is to ensure that taxpayer money is not being squandered on people who only plan to abuse this assistance. Only nine states so far have instituted drug testing of candidates for welfare assistance. This drug testing has proven to be prohibitively expensive in many cases. Consequently, some states only test subjects with whom they find suspicion, or who have admitted to past drug use. Though proposed drug testing of welfare applicants initially appears to be a good idea to eliminate potential abusers of the system from receiving assistance, it appears that even more money may be wasted on the testing process, which negates the savings that are the primary objective of the law.

    Read More

  • Food Stamp program

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    By implementing a policy change to require drug-testing to recipients in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would be beneficial to clients in a clinical setting. For example, evidence has shown that drug testing has the potential to reduce unnecessary government spending and misuse of funds.

    Read More

  • The Federal Government Must Decriminalize Marijuana

    2430 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the status quo of vote seeking politicians and conservative policy makers has put up a strong resistance to this "new" reform lobby. The reasons for the resistance to the changes in drug policies are multiple and complex. The issues of marijuana’s possible negative effects, its use as a medical remedy, the criminality of distribution and usage, and the disparity in the enforcement of current drug laws have all been brought to a head and must be addressed in the near future. It is apparent that it would be irresponsible and wrong for the government to not evaluate it’s current general drug policies and perhaps most important, their marijuana policy. With the facts of racial disparity in punishment, detrimental effects, fiscal strain and most importantly, the history of the drug, the government most certainly must come to the conclusion that they must, at the very least, decriminalize marijuana use and quite probably fully legalize it.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Liberal And Liberal Views On The War On Drugs

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    The purpose of this essay is to interpret the views of conservatives Sasha Abramsky, writing in the liberal magazine, the Nation, uses California as an example in which getting rid of the harsh drug policies would be a huge benefit to the economy. In the article titled “The War Against the ‘War on Drugs,’” Abramsky finds a correlation between the drug policies and incarceration rates. Abramsky writes about how some of the state’s political figures are finding that the war on drugs is “responsible for the spike in prison populations over the past thirty years” and they agree that the California’s drug policies “are not financially viable and no longer command majority support among the voting public” (18).

    Read More

  • Random Drug Testing is Ethical and Necessary

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ethics of drug testing has become an increased concern for many companies in the recent years. More companies are beginning to use it and more people are starting more to have problems with it. The tests are now more than ever seen as a way to stop the problems of drug abuse in the workplace. This brings up a very large question. Is drug testing an ethical way to decide employee drug use? It is also very hard to decide if the test is an invasion of employee privacy. “The ethical status of workplace drug testing can be expressed as a question of competing interests, between the employer’s right to use testing to reduce drug related harms and maximize profits, over against the employee’s right to privacy, particularly with regard to drug use which occurs outside the workplace.” (Cranford 2) The rights of the employee have to be considered. The Supreme Court case, Griswold vs. Connecticut outlines the idea that every person is entitled to a privacy zone. However this definition covers privacy and protection from government. To work productively especially when the work may be physical it is nearly impossible to keep one’s privacy. The relationship between employer and employee is based on a contract. The employee provides work for the employer and in return he is paid. If the employee cannot provide services because of problems such as drug abuse, then he is violating the contract. Employers have the right to know many things about their employees.

    Read More

More about Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients

Open Document