Should people who receive welfare be required to be drug tested - Essay Example

People Who Receive Welfare Should Undergo Drug Testing Mandatory drug testing is becoming popular in many s as the public feels that their funds should not be used to fund a person’s drug habit. It has been observed that many drug users are misusing the welfare programs to get money to help them acquire more drugs. Therefore, people who receive welfare should undergo drug testing so that public funds do not go to the wrong hands and be misused to support the drug user’s habits.Welfare programs provide support to disadvantaged individuals and families in society.

The two sources of welfare money are private and public funds, whereby public funds are acquired from governmental sources such as local, federal and state agencies while private funds are obtained from charity givers such as direct giving programs, foundations, society groups and voluntary agencies. In the United States, the federal government offers social welfare grants to each state through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (WelfareInfo.org). The social welfare system provides support to individuals and families through programs such as health care, unemployment compensation, food stamps, child care assistance and housing assistance.

In the United States, a case employee is handed over to each individual or family submitting an application for benefit to determine and confirm the applicant’s needs.In regards to social welfare, drug dependency is a very serious problem among the oppressed layers of the working class, and the poor since most of their formidable obstacles are not within their ability to control which makes them dependent on aid. The society has many addicts who are having their drug needs supported by the government as drug habits will make the victim be less dependable and this burden is laid on society (Grimes).

Drug testing should be mandatory and not scheduled as the victims know their way around tests and making the tests random will ensure that they are caught up with before they can misuse public funds. Since the 1996 welfare reform act of the Clinton administration, which led to imposed time limits and creation of work rules on aid beneficiaries, states have decided to implement ever-tighter requirements on enrollees.The first state to test applicants was Michigan in 1999, but the law was declared non-constitutional and was reversed by the Michigan court of appeals in 2003 (TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc). However, legislatures in at least 28 states have considered drug testing applicants or recipients of public aid programs before they are enrolled.

Some states have been successful in enacting laws and pass bills that enforce drug testing before being granted social welfare. In Oklahoma, for example, the Republican Governor signed into law a legislation that requires drug testing for those applying to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program where by if they test positive of illegal drugs in their system or refuse to be tested, they will be denied aid. Also in Tennessee, a bill was enacted which states that welfare enrollees will be required to pay for their drug tests which will ensure that applicants do not misuse the programs.

Proponents of the law in most states insist that drug testing must increase so as to ensure that the tax payer’s money is not going to addicts. By ensuring that the welfare system is properly managed, and no money is misused to support the needs of drug addicts, other disadvantaged persons such as the disabled and orphans will benefit from the system.Work CitedGrimes, Tim. Legislators Continue To Propose Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients, 2012. Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group. Web.TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Welfare Drug Testing Measure Passes Michigan House, 2012.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.WelfareInfo.org. Welfare Programs, 2012. WelfareInfo.org. Web.