Mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients - Research Paper Example

As a result, several Acts to support mandatory drug testing were introduced in order to reduce drug abuse by social welfare recipients. This paper will examine the issue of mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients and further explain why the testing policy is not effective. To start with, the social welfare programs were initiated based on the values and beliefs held by the American society. According to Segal, religious and social beliefs held by the American people championed the need for social welfare system (10).

For example, popular religions in the period of 1930s included protestant Christians who believed on biblical teachings that society members should support each other. However, Segal points out that evolution of both social and religious beliefs has not been smooth and the current policies governing the social welfare represent the conflicting values and beliefs (11). For instance, introduction of mandatory drug testing to the social welfare beneficiaries is good from a social perspective because it is aimed to better the social status of the recipients.

However, mandatory drug testing does not sound good on religious point of view because most religions have a view that the needy people in the society should be helped without conditions. Surprisingly, mandatory drug testing has gained popularity in several states of U.S since the introduction of Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996 that aimed to improve the intended goals of social welfare programs. Several states in the U.S saw the importance of increasing the productivity and responsibility of citizens receiving social welfare support and hence introduced the legislation of mandatory drug testing.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), “in 2009, over 20 states proposed legislation that would require drug testing” as a basis to determine eligibility for the benefits from social welfare programs (1).This was