Drug Testing Welfare Recipients

Drug Testing Welfare Recipients

Introduction

This paper aims to highlight personal stand on the debatable issue about if the government should drug test individuals who receive welfare assistance, or would that be a waste of tax payers' money and proof to be of further punishment and humiliation of the poor and underprivileged?. Although, this particular issue has been chosen considering that in the present dire state of the economy and rising unemployment levels, more and more individuals have applied for welfare.

Discussion

According to the Census Bureau there are currently over hundred million Americans depending upon the social welfare program (Michael, 2012). The situation is worsened when the American citizens receive encouragement from the federal government to apply and enroll themselves of social welfare programs such as food stamps, which have in return led to more Americans applying for welfare services.

Moreover, many analysts comment that a majority of individuals depending upon the welfare program are physically and mentally active to perform or work, yet they do not choose to do so. This condition is further worsened when the government itself incites the American public to apply for public health and welfare problems, which have led US government a number of trillions dollars more in debt.

Presently, over twenty-three states are considering adopting such laws and regulations that would mandate individuals sustaining on welfare to either participate or contribute towards their own drug testing or screening procedures (Allen, 2013). One of strong reason for the latter being that either socio-economic issues or being out of work had led to an increase in the consumption of drugs and other harmful substances. In 2009, Arizona became the first state to impose a testing program of its new welfare recipients on basis of suspicion of illegal drug use. A total of eighty seven thousand ...