Do you think welfare recipients should have to pass a drug test to receive their tax-payer supported welfare check?

You all realize that the drug tests are biased tests right? You can detect cannabis in urine for 30 days and your hair for up to 90 days! Cocaine is completely gone out of your system in 1-3 days. So the result is that you will be treating safer cannabis consumer worse than a crack addict. Drug test if you want if 1. all politicians have to go first. 2. cannabis must be exempt as tobacco and alcohol are.

It didn't work in Florida and taxpayers pay for the drug test and their rehab so taxpayers would.be paying millions more and I think its stupid they wont catch the crack or meth heads it out of their system in 1-3 days I think it will waste taxpayers money. I'm physical and mentally disable. I had 18 feet of my small gut removed

I am currently undecided on this issue. I have researched this issue and I have found that even though someone is tested and they test positive, they still receive their benefits as long as they participate in a recovery program and pass all other drug tests. Just because they "come up dirty" does not disqualify them immediatley if at all. While in rehab a member of their household may recieve the benefits. As anyone who works with welfare recipients knows, the waiting list for someone to get into a drug rehab program can be 2 years long at the most and during that time recipients still recieve ther benefits. Florida has also had to deal with individuals that have taken the state to court for "suspicionless" drug searches whcih violates the Fourth Amendement Righs, costing Florida more in tax money than the benefits alone have costed. Guess who pays for that? Instead of putting ANOTHER bandaid on another social ill, money should be spent more in eliminating the durg issue than trying to simply put a temporary FIX on it. As the history of man has shown time and time again though......take away one thing man wants and man will find another way to get it.....

What I REALLY want to know is how many people that want marijuana legalized also want welfare clients drug tested? Is that not a double standard?

Working people get drug tested . I dont understand why alot of this people are getting rewarded for bad behavior...

How many people are on welfare and are also addicted to illicit drugs? Do you know? Probably not.

Simple kindergarten answers from the simple, kindergarten public. Sorry public, but you have a pitifully poor understanding of nearly everything and shouldn't be allowed to voice an opinion.

29,900,000 Americans receive some form of public assistance - a full 8% of the population - but only 1.7% of Americans receive 50% or more of their income from the government.

The VAST majority of people on public assistance are currently working, and of those who aren't, virtually all used to, and put money into the system at that time. It's just like Social Security - you pay into it, and use it when you need to (at which time you won't be contributing to the system).

But the biggest reason not to do this is that you, the taxpayers who are mad about paying for welfare, would be paying for the testing. Welfare pays a few hundred dollars a month, at most. Do you really want to pay $100 a shot to test people before they can have $300, to catch a few people who are using the money for drugs or alcohol?

Funniest part, most of the people up in arms pay little in taxes and consider themselves Christian. Think first, then comment.

you make good points but I find the tone of your post somewhat patronising and superior

Honestly, I'm not really looking to offend anyone, but it *was* intended to be incredibly patronizing, because the people replying here are so condescending and holier-than-thou. I am sensitive to it because my mother is a teacher's aide and must receive food stamps (as ALL the aides at her school do) during the summer break. So because there are no teaching jobs available, and she has to live off of $11/hr, she's a drug addict?

But, I think what is most offensive is that people on here haven't researched anything, but are perfectly willing to throw out pseudo-facts and inflammatory rhetoric to bolster an opinion that is based on nothing. Think I'm talking down to these people? You bet I am.

No one is saying shes on drugs the main thing is look at how many jobs require a drug test... if you have to be clean to work hard for your money you better damn well be required to take a drug test to just be handed money.

Your tone is patronizing. The people you say are working didn't motivate themselves to get further education.There is assistance. Instead they partied or was lazy and are working low paying jobs. I don't know of any college degree recipients on welfare.I have had to go to school twice(last time at 48 yrs old) to reeducate my skills so I could get a higher paying job.And yes I would pay for the shot.You are misinformed if you think only a few people use money for drugs.I was a user and they use food stamps to buy drugs. My ex also worked for DHS and seen it first hand!!

Actually you are wrong about how expensive it is to pay for testing.... and if you would have done enough research you would have seen that the person pays for it themselves but gets reimbursed if they pass and I have found on multiple sites that the cost would range from 8 to 12 dollars.. I did see on a few it could be up to 30 but no where near 100. And I also found that 18.5% of unemployed adults have used drugs in the past 30 days while only 8.8% of adults with full time jobs have used drugs in the past 30 days.. so there is statistics showing maybe this would be a good step in ensuring that taxpayers money is going to the right families in need... If you are drug and alcohol free then you shouldn't have anything to hide.. I mean if people have to take a drug test to get a job and EARN their money then people need to be taking a drug test to be GIVEN their money.

The only people that vote no or are undecided are the ones that need to be tested first.

I dont take drugs and I voted no.

not concerned with people who don't take drugs...many of them do..and if you receive welfare,you can take a test and consider it a small inconvenience for receiving free money.

Actually I pay into the system and am not a doper living off of it. Most people on welfare do have jobs which means they have been tested for drug use. I had no idea that everyone who winds up applying for welfare is a raging drug addict who beats their kids. That's a new one on me. Matter of fact a lot of people who are applying for welfare are military families and people who have lost their jobs and have to make sure the kids get fed. Pesky brats thinking they need to eat on a daily basis. I suppose all of these people are going to use drugs and beat the kids.

If they have taken tests , they can submit the results to welfare board...If you had no idea what was going on concerning drugs, you are highly uninformed.There are countless people who voted YES that know people who are drug abusers collecting welfare(selling food stamps for drugs)including me.I used to be a heavy drug user and I seen it first hand.

im doing a paper over this topic right now and i came here to see what the different side were. I agree that there sould be a drug test. I work full time and go to school oh and im only 18. i grew up in a poor family but we never asked for help. My parents both work 2 jobs to try and help 3 kids pay for school. Im lucky enough to have found a job so i dont have to ask for help. to keep my job i get drug tested every month. if i have to get tested to keep a job (my iincome) peopel on welfare should to. I understand that not all peopel are doing drugs that need help but i would be more than willing to pay a little more in to pay for the tests just to know that my money is going to someone that is going to use it for food and things that they need to live.

As someone who is on welfare, and works in an industry that drug tests randomly, I am offended that you would say such a thing. Do you have any idea the hoops they make you jump through to receive a pittance of help? If I get overtime for one day that adds $20 to my check, I have to report it to 2 different agencies, that change my food stamps and rent for the following month. I don't even make ends meet, even with the welfare, so to claim that I might, possibly, be able to afford drugs because I was on welfare, that is insanity.

Someone who is receiving welfare should be scrutinized so it isn't easy to receive a check.
It's the tax payers money and it is all too common that it is spent frivolously. There is nothing wrong with receiving help if you work toward not needing it. Go back to school. I went back at 48 yrs old.All on school loans and assistance.

And who is going to pay for the extra hoop to jump through? Me? I cannot afford to feed my family without help, you expect me to be able to pay for a frivolous test?

And, yes, it is frivolous. Welfare comes onto cards, like debit cards, but it is tracked. How am I going to pay for drugs with a debit card? The pins don't work at most ATM's, and there is a limit to funds taken at any time.

Tax-payer will pay...we pay anyhow and in the long run it would be an investment into helping people help themselves...going back to school would help to feed your family...there are too many assistance programs to help with that to make any excuses.I did it at 48.. working 30 hrs a week...full time student....wife and 2 kids...it was tough but it can be done..

I would love to go back to school. But I cannot because I already owe for student loans on a college term that I never finished because I was pregnant. My husband cannot return to school because he also owes, but in his case, he was flunked out of school. We will eventually make it out, but right now, it is not going to happen.

I wish you and your family the best...and believe you will make it out.

thank u be well too

But sweetheart, you have to be a drug addict. If you aren't and are on welfare, you're ruining these snooty so much better than you people's image of what all welfare recipients have to be like. Apparently everyone on welfare has to be addicted to drugs, lazy, and beating the kids because no one else ever does that. Once these folks find themselves in your position, they'll get educated real fast.

Works for me. I kind of hate getting lumped in with the rest of these free loaders.

I think people who use school loans and assistance should be drug tested. After all you might be spending that money frivolously.

whats this welfare all about ?

What do you mean?

its called called welfare because it is well fair

Why should they b xcluded? Everyone else has to pass one for a JOB nowadays!

So do some people that are on it, depending on their jobs. Should I have to take 2 because I need some help?

Yup - just like the rest of us workin' folk do!

Okay, when should I sleep? My full time job takes 12 hours per day to perform.

A good question, indeed - my dear! Especially when I'm not getting the sleep myself nowadays.

Kinda makes me wonder if sleep aint over-rated anyways, eh? lol

You have to pass a drug test to EARN a government paycheck.

i dont think so

yes you do, All non-elected federal employees are subject to a random drug check.

so what is the reason for that drug issue ?