Drug Testing Welfare Recipients

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Drug Testing Welfare Recipients: Unconstitutional
“A closed mouth doesn’t get fed” is a saying that many people have heard throughout life. This saying was brought about to encourage people to ask for help if needed. But what happens when the open mouth asked to be fed, and instead of receiving help they are forced to be demeaned by going through a rigorous process that assumes that all applicants fall in to the category of drug addicts? Guilty until proven innocent is the message conveyed to persons requesting these services. Millions of dollars are spent each year on federally funded programs that are considered “welfare”. The types of services these programs offer include TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and more. In hopes to detour those that use illegal narcotics from obtaining these services to fund their addiction, many states have either implemented or considered implementation of new procedures to follow when applying for these benefits; conducting mandatory drug screenings on individuals that apply for government assistant. Due to the overwhelming number of persons receiving welfare benefits, most lawmakers have drafted proposals mandating drug testing among applicants; this requirement is unconstitutional and should be revoked.
A disorder that has drawn the concern of lawmakers is the substance abuse and dependency among welfare recipients. In an effort to identify illegal drug use amongst this population, lawmakers have proposed the use of chemical testing (Pollack, Danzinger, Rukmalie, & Seefeldt, 2002). In Missouri this procedure is already in effect. In July of 2011, Governor Jay Nixon signed the bill into law. The repercussions for testing posi...

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