Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Drug Testing On Welfare

Why can’t we drug test welfare recipients? I was tested for my job. Public assistance or welfare aid plays an important role in the society; especially in the lives of the poor and financially unstable families. A topic going on in our country right now is whether it is constitutional to order mandatory drug tests for welfare beneficiaries. So why not drug test the recipients before a person can get qualified for services? Drug abuse, of course, is not new to any culture. Drugs have been a part of American culture, their popularity increased in the 50’s, when writers and social figures started popularizing them. In the 60’s, drug use took on a whole new meaning. It became a way of rebelling, particularly among college students who were disenchanted

They argue that since some people have jobs where they are never drug tested that poor people should not have to undergo testing either. They also argue that they are basically telling poor people that they have no right to be happy, or experience the full spectrum of human experience, whereas those not on welfare who are not drug tested at their jobs can do this freely (pros-cons-drug testing welfare recipients, 2014). The ACLU maintains that random and mandatory drug testing violates an applicant’s right to privacy, as well as their right to protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Despite a drug testing clause being specifically written into the PRWORA (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act) law of 1996, local courts have deemed previous attempts at drug screening to be unconstitutional. If the government were to write into the contract for drug screening that all applicants would receive a pre-benefit health screening to detect for illegal substance abuse, and voluntary application for benefits would be acceptance of the terms, there could be no claims of