Should drug tests be mandatory for welfare - Research Paper Example

Should Drug Tests be Mandatory for Welfare? Drug tests should not be mandatory for welfare; people should not be forced to go through drug test to access the welfare benefits. Most of the welfare applicants are individuals in dire need and not drug users or abusers. Recipients of welfare are required to pay for drug tests; many of them do not have the money to pay for such tests. If such people fail such tests, then, they are denied the welfare for a whole year (Dilla 585). Consequently, such people do not get the welfare for a whole year; this is not fair for some people who may be in dire need of such welfare. In fact, most laws that govern the welfare do not fulfill what their supporters say, and sometimes they may be unconstitutional. The constitution prohibits the government from carrying out unnecessary and unreasonable searches. The constitution also stipulates that all people are innocent until proven guilty. On the contrary, passing such laws that require drug tests for welfare would means that all welfare applicants are guilty, and that they have to prove their innocence. Treating all welfare applicants like criminals, in order for them to qualify for any assistance, is neither ethical nor acceptable (Dilla 586). Is it a crime to be poor and being in need of assistance? It is high time that people came out in large number to protest against laws that make drug test a must for the welfare; such tests only serve to discriminate against the poor. The claim that many drug users goes to welfare to get money to support their illegal habits does not have solid evidence; it is a type of long-standing stereotypes. Researchers have shown that there is no appreciable difference in the rate of illegal-drug use, between recipients of welfare and other people. Besides, the claim that drug testing help save tax dollars does not have any supporting facts. In fact, studies have shown that the costs involved in drug testing exceed any money saved. What really does the law intend to accomplish or fulfill? Drug users will never stop abusing drugs even if they are cut off from public assistance (Lawless & Fox 365). Drug testing for welfare applicants is a way of stigmatizing the needy. It is not right to assume or imply that a person with a financial problem also have a drug addiction. Indeed, it may make some people to stop seeking for such welfare, which they really need for proper maintenance of their children. Why drug tests be made mandatory for welfare applicants, and yet there so many other government programs that do not require drug tests? Several people benefit from such programs without having to go through any drug tests. For instance, retired state workers receive pension, businesspersons get state contracts, and farmers receive crop subsidies, without undergoing any drug tests. If drug tests are to be made mandatory for welfare, then, all applicants of other government programs should undergo through various drugs test (Lawless et al 372). It is not fair at all to only include welfare applicants for drug testing, while excluding the other programs. Drug testing is unreasonable search, and there is no safety reason to be concerned about drug use by welfare applicants or recipients. The supporters of drug test for welfare applicants only target the most vulnerable or needy. Any states that support such tests should enforce better enforcement policies and stricter laws, which apply to the whole population, and not to only the most vulnerable people (Brezina 27). However, enforcement of such laws will be of no great help to the needy. This is because most laws are not about drug use; they aim at solving economical crises or problems. Additionally, may only deny marijuana users’ applicants and applicants on other drugs like meth, coke, and crack. This is because marijuana takes approximately a month to get out of an individual system. Therefore, the aim of such a law will not be met since drug users, with the exception of marijuana users, can continue using several drugs, and still pass the drug test. In any case, crimes will tremendously increase since drug users will do anything to obtain money for purchasing drugs (Smith 1). Drug testing is a violation of people most basic right to their bodies. This is because the tests involve taking samples from one body. Any person has a right to his or her body and its content. Some people think that welfare recipients are joyride and pretenders, who want money to buy drugs (Delva 68). If such a presumption or a point of view is right, then, why do people quit their work and rely on welfare? There are no reports that show people quitting their jobs to rely on welfare; therefore, those who seek for welfare are in dire needs and they should not be given conditions for welfare applications. Those who argue that most welfare applicants abuse the welfare system ought to pose and think about the other many systems that suffer abuse. People abuse almost all other systems, in our country; however, they are not exposed to drug tests. In fact, cost of fraud and abuse are built into every system (Brezina 37). Why should we complain of paying more taxes on some welfare applicants who cheat the system, and yet we do not complain when we pay more taxes because some people default on their debts? Passing laws that require drug tests for welfare is a matter of middle and upper class privilege. Evidence of corruption has been noted in most of our systems, and a welfare system is no exceptional. The upper and middle class can bribe to get the welfare money without having to undergo any drug test. On the contrary, the poor will have to undergo such tests since they do not have money to bribe their way out. Indeed, such laws will only serve to strengthen and widen the gap between the rich and the poor. For those proponents that claim that drug tests occur in other jobs, it is high time that recognized that drug tests are only mostly carried out on low-wage jobs. Uneducated and poor people perform such low wage-jobs. Is it worth focusing all our attention to welfare system? Welfare abuse is not a national economic issue of any considerable significance; public assistance is only a tiny fraction of our budget (Smith 1). We should focus on eradicating poverty that makes the poor really on welfare, instead of focusing on why we have to work harder than the welfare recipients do. It is of considerable significance that cities, which have passed laws that make drug, tests a mandatory for welfare, revise their laws. It is not right to imply that all welfare applicants are drug users. In any case, such laws only serve to discriminate the needy or most vulnerable people. Drug tests should not be made a mandatory for welfare. Works Cited Brezina, Timothy. What Went Wrong in New Orleans? An Examination of the Welfare Dependency. Social Problems. 55. (2008): 23-42. Web. Delva, Jorge. Substance Abuse Issues Among Families in Diverse Populations. New York: Barrons Press, 2000. Print. Dilla, Harriette. Some Sociological Aspects of Criminal Law. Michigan Law Review. 13. (1915):584-589. Web. Lawless, Jennifer & Fox, Richard. Political Participation of the Urban Poor. Social Problems. 48. (2001): 362-385. Web. Smith, Phillip. Georgia Governor Puts Welfare Drug Testing on Hold. (2012). Retrieved from, http://stopthedrugwar.org/taxonomy/term/221. Web. Read More