Drug Testing Welfare Applicants

As of 2011 there argon 4. 3 million Ameri stomachs on welfare and use 131 billion dollars that come from the tax payers. Welfare has been a hot issue in the United States for a while and a common debate is whether citizens that qualify for welfare should be do drugs essayed or non. Most Americans agree that some sort of support system for citizens that are struggling financially is a good idea and can help some get back on their feet. Others will fence in that many stack on welfare abuse their privileges to fund their warmheartedness abuse and misuse the taxpayers money.My own view is that multitude should construct to pass a drug test in auberge to receive these giving medication handouts and prevent habitual users from abusing these privileges. Welfare is a fedearned run averagelly funded program that gives monetary supporter to citizens who have little to no income. The United States welfare system began back in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, era due to an over whelming amount of families that were struggling to get by. Still today there are millions of people barely making by during these tough economic times.Citizens can pass on for opposite types of welfare including social welfare, corporate welfare, child welfare to name some of the to the highest degree popular. On these types of welfare people can receive different types of aid such as health care, food stamps or child care. there are many factors go into a individuals eligibility for a welfare program. Eligibility is determined by using gross and net income, size of the family, and certain situations such as medical emergencies, pregnancy, homelessness or unemployment.After the initial application a case drawer will gather all this information and determine if the person qualifies for any benefits and how much he or she can receive. A person can also apply for a state run welfare program called the Temporary helper for Needy Families or TANF. TANF, however, is different tha n most and requires that the applicant find work within two years of receiving aid. Not finding work will result in a loss of these benefits. A drug test is a skillful analysis of a biological specimen such as urine, hair, blood or saliva, to determine the front line or absence of specified drugs in a persons system.A urine drug test, which is the most common in the United States, screens for ten types of drugs Amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids (THC), cocaine, methadone, methaqualone, opiates, phencyclidine, and propoxyphene. All of these drugs have various detection periods in the humans body but the average is two to ten days. Within this window of time. Studies have shown that the prevalence of substance abuse among welfare recipients has varied widely in their findings, with rates of between 10 and 37 percent.Much of the disagreement in rates found in these studies is due to different data sources, definitions, and measurement methods and the differen t thresholds utilize to define substance abuse. A nonher difference is whether alcohol abuse and/or the abuse of prescription drugs are included in the estimate. Also how can we get true evidence when we dont have the means to drug test these welfare recipients yet. Employers require drug testing before employment so why should welfare recipients get the same treatment for the gift of receiving government funding.Its tax dollars of the working people funding someone elses addictions. Drug use and use and its consequences affect all of society that is vital to a strong America. Drug use strains our healthcare, criminal justice systems and endangers the future of our young people with the boilersuit strain on our economy. Florida recently became the first state to require adults applying for cash welfare assistance (i. e. , not food stamps and housing assistance) to undergo drug screenings. Florida Gov.Rick Scott defended the new rule by arguing that Its not right for taxpayer mone y to be paying for somebodys drug addiction. On top of that, this is waiver to increase personal responsibility and personal accountability. We shouldnt be subsidizing peoples addiction. In 2009, 20 states put in proposals to pass the drug test laws and at least 36 states put proposals in 2011 around drug testing of welfare (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families TANF) and food stamp (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP) recipients.When Florida passed the law of requiring drug tests to receive welfare it set a precedent for other states to follow. Florida government believed that by passing this law itwould deter people from misusing welfare benefits to buy drugs. Florida expects the recipients to pay for the drug test and the government will reimburse the recipient the cost of the drug test. Arizona and Missouri require testing for anyone they reasonably suspect of illegal drug use. As of April17, 2010 Utah and Georgia also passed legislation for drug testing.