36 States Mulling Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients

It makes absolutely no sense that people are against this, but have no problem with drug tests for people seeking jobs. If drug testing is a violation of the 4th Amendment, no one should be subjected to it. It's apparently "unreasonable search and seizure." Why am I forced to be clean to WORK, but they can do whatever they want for their free money? You shouldn't demonize people who are trying to find jobs, which, incidentally, pay for these peoples' welfare checks.

It seems that Americans are all too willing to give up their freedoms these days. Although this may seem like a good idea on the surface… 'Why shouldn’t we be assured we aren’t subsidizing someone’s drug habit with taxpayer money?' But no one seems to be considering the very real fact that drug tests and administrators of said tests are fallible. There will be false positives. There will be samples that are mislabeled, or lost. There will be innocent people forced to deal with yet another ineffective government plan to control its population. And what’s the recourse for someone subject to one of the aforementioned problems? This situation is one where the person will be considered guilty until innocence is proven, at what I imagine will be considerable cost and time, to someone who is already in a compromised position. It might be suggested that the government's real motivation is to make the process so cumbersome that people will be deterred from drawing benefits, and they'll just give up out of frustration.

First should be anyone payed by the government, including all of congress . Urine test should be given everytime they meet to vote.

I personally would love to see the law changed....do dope, don't apply, do dope you will need
to get a job....
People screaming that this potential law is an invasion of civil rights....yet if I apply for a job
I have to be drug screened and it is not a violation? As I see it, it is voluntary, if you want a handout prove that you are worthy and drug free....there should be a time limit of how long you can be on the government dole...for alot of folks consider welfare as a career...lifetime
and then the cycle never gets broken, generation after generation feel that it is their due to
draw as much welfare as they can get, including substidized housing, Medicaid, and
anything else out there that they can get...and most of these folks fel it is owed to them...
as a person who has worked all of her life and was a single mother with no child support
though court awarded it, I think not only should they be drug tested but the requirements
should be more stringent and a time limit placed ....and the WIC program should be
discontinued all together....it is a most highly abused and wasteful program...and alot
of illegals on it...

so does that mean that all these years that I had to submitt to Drug testing to work was a violation of my rights? This is insane test them all. They have the option submitt a drug test and recive assistance or go get a job. If they have nothing to hide then why refuse it. Must be one of those fradulanty on the sytem like the lady in seattle in the million dollar house. I know Of people capable of working who have been offered jobs but refuse them cause its easier to live off the system. Yet over half of my income each month goes out in taxes and child support. My taxes pay thier assistance therefore Im paying for them to sit at home on thier butts and I dont even get so much as a tax break for it.

Well it's about time.

DRUG TEST POLITICIANS,,,,,,,END OF STORY!!

If you are going to test welfare recipients, then all those in public office, those who work for the gov't, those who work for the state, those who work for the city, those who get any amount of taxpayer money as a wage should be tested as well.

Fair is fair.

But why stop there? Let's start testing ALL school children, even those in religious schools and home schooled. No child is exempt. Let's make the drug-testing industry the next big boom, much like big pharm has been the last 20 years. Let's legislate profit for a few select companies.

No person is being required to take a drug test. There is no 4th Amendment argument to be made. It is not mandatory. If you don't want to take a blood test, don't sign up for taxpayer assistance. Easy and simple.

If you sign up for unemployment, you are required to report where you applied for work. Is this an invasion of privacy or a prerequisite for receiving assistance?

How about a drug free D.C.,,,Lead by example you pigs

welfare is a voluntary program, drug testing is a voluntary program. there is no constitutianal problem

"Ginsburg stated that drug testing was an act of unreasonable search and seizure and violated Fourth Amendment protections"

And yet, I have to submit one everytime I accept a job. This is MANDATORY. If it's unreasonable for them, why do I have to do it?

Since corporations are now citizens, according to John Roberts, then can we drug test welfare receiving entities like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, etc.?

The Florida Governor's wife owns the drug testing lab. Coincidence?

how about we quit giving them help then the aclu has no worry. we cant make them take a drug test then we dont have to give them help its all voluntary.

Public risk to safety? How about NOT having enough money for police and fire due to aiding a drug habit via tax dollars? I do totally think that is a risk to the public. Don't you?

I'm a liberal and this sounds fairly reasonable..the moneys for food after all, and if your suckin the public teat don't be wasting money on dope.. Wait till your able to afford your bad habits on your own.

They need to do same randomly for state, county and local workers as well.

The Welfare workers get drug tested... why not all the Welfare recipients too? Seems fair to me and everyone else.

Oh hell yes