Literay Review Of Drug Testing in Welfare

Steffany Rodriguez

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Abstract:
As an American sometimes we take for granted all the government help that we receive
or are capable of receiving. We are blessed upon measure to be able to apply for welfare. It
covers all of the aspects of an individual as well as their family. Usually, the individuals that
apply for welfare or government assistance they do it because they are unable for whatever the
situation maybe to be able to provide for him or herself as well as her family the necessary things
for survival. Government assisting or welfare goes from unemployment checks, food stamps,
medical assistance, WIC, and housing. This is wonderful because by being a resident/ citizen you
are able to apply to them. Of course the programs arent free someone has to pay for them and
that someone is the taxpayers. Unfortunately many individuals abuse the system and it begins to
rather than to be a program to assist and help that family or person on their feet, what happens is
that the US is left with many individuals that learn how to outsmart the system and rather than
using it as an aid then it begins to be the way that there family is supported and some live off the
taxpayers expense all their lives.

Introduction- Literature Review Drug Testing on Welfare:

On a Census made by CNS news stated that approximetly 109,631,000 people living in a household were
taking federal welfare benefits in a study of the Census Bureau in 2012. From the people that were censured in the
study they concluded that it was about 35.4 percent of people from the 309.467,000 of the individuals that were
living in the United States when the Census took place. Now, it is very surprising to see that a lot of people dont
know when welfare came around and what its purpose was and when it became a thing in the United States.
When you look up the meaning of welfare it states that its the procedure or social effort designed to promote the

basic physical and material well-being of people in need. Welfare came from The Great Depression in 1935
because of so many families seeking for food, shelter and clothing. The charity companies could not do it anymore
so by the 1935 became the duty of the government and it became what we know today as welfare.
Many Americans feel like they are getting a big part of their paycheck reduce because of the taxes taken
from their payroll. A lot do not okay know that they have to support someone elses family when they could be
using all the money they pay out on welfare taxes to their own families. The government has made different
stipulations on how long and the requirements to be approved on welfare. But in 2011 seven states began to do
something that had not been done before and that was to drug test people who applied for welfare assistance, those
states were Missioury, Oklahoma, Utah, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arizona. For the remaining part of this
Rhetorical Research Paper four questions will be answered:
1. What has been the statistical analysis in drug testing for the first 7 states to pass the law?
2. Should the welfare applicants be drug tested to receive government aid?
3. When making the individuals who is this hurting?
4. Is drug testing consider a violation of rights?

What has been the statistical analysis in drug testing for the first 7 states to pass the law?
In the webpage article titled Think Progress it discusses how unbeneficial drug testing the welfare
applicants have been and that the 7 beginning states that started it realized when after wasting about $1 million
dollars to make this happen. The seven states that past the law that people who were applying of welfare had to be
drug tested, saw that it wasnt helpful but in the contrary it was a waste of money.

The year 2011 the state of Missouri passed a law that required testing as well as screening for the TANF
(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) applicants. The testing started in 2013 the month of March and by 2014
out of the 38,970 individuals that had applied for TANF 446 of those were referred to being drug tested and out of
the 446 only 48 of them had tested positive. Just for 2013-2014 testing it had cost the state about 336,297 dollars. A
Missouri Dep. Of Social Services employee had said that it would the state about if not more than 1.35 million
dollars for the starter 3 years of the drug testing program.
As for the state of Oklahoma they passed the law in 2012 that again required a screening for all applicants
and a drug test (chemical test) for an individual seemed to have a reasonable cause meaning they seem as a person
that looks like an individual that uses drugs. For 2013-2014 states paid 185,219 dollars that money came from
Medicaid budget and the TANF funds.
Now Utah law was also enforced in 2012 that required a drug screening and to drug test an individual if
they had a reasonable likelihood of a substance use disorder. Out of 9,552 screened applicants and 838 were
refered to being drug tested and only 29 tested positive. Costing the state more than 64 thousand dollars.
Kansas process the drug testing law by 2013 and that it stated that starting in 2014 and forward that an
individual that may reasonable suspicion exist that they may be using an illegal and controlled substance. In the
course of only 6 months was 40,000 dollars.
The Mississippi as well as the other states that have been mentioned above Mississippi also stated that
reasonable likelihood and substance use disorder individuals who in the written questionnaire were thought to be
in one of the two groups mentioned above they would have to be drug tested. Now, this went into effect the year of
2014. For the introductory 5 month about 3,656 applicants were received and only 38 were drug tested and 2 were
found positive. The cost each test cost the state is 43 dollars each.

Tennessee was passed in 2012, they thought that they would stop the belief that people that applied for
TANF were using the money being received to purchase illegal substances so they enforeced the drug testing law as
well. Out of the 16,017 that had applied for the welfare program only 279 of those people 37 failed and the test for
all of the individuals about 5,925 dollars were the cost to the state at that time.
Arizona also followed the protocol like the other states. They will send anyone applying for welfare to be
tested if they feel like they are engaged in an illegal use of controlled substance. Since 2014 about 140,000 people
have applied and only 42 have been referred to being drug tested and out of those 42 only 3 of them have tested
positive and all those drug test have cost the state about 499.06 dollars.

Should the welfare applicants be drug tested to receive government aid?

There has been a lot of controversy in the question if welfare applicants be drug tested to receive
government aid and when analyzing many articles most people say that no it shouldnt be done. When asked this
question to an employee of government aid here in El Paso Ms. Carrillo stated that she saw many different types of
individuals at the Social Security office to ask for assistance in the Food Stamp field (branch of welfare). Carrillo
stated this I dont believe that individuals should be drug tested in order to receive government aid you cant be
directing people to take a drug test just because you think they are using drugs. I see many types of people per day
and just because they look a certain way I cannot automatically assume they are drug users. Carrillo also agreed
that it was a demoralization to that persons being for sending them to be drug tested just because of their look.

When making the individuals test who is this hurting?

Who is hurting from this act of making people be drug test in reality the ones who are hurting primarily are
the families and the tax payers. When reading an article by Salon, in one of the paragraphs in that article it discusses
that the Americans who are all ready struggling to earn a living for their families, they just think twice about going to
an applying because they feel ashamed. The other group of individuals who suffer from making the applicants who
are thought of being using drugs is the taxpayers. Referring back to the first question about the statistical analyses of

the states that have enforced drug testing its only spending more money than the one that is being saved. Another
article by the US news said that a social worker that had been working with welfare applicants could see that the
families who needed the aid were sustaining from going because they felt ashamed that they were treated in this
manner. Applying for aid is bad enough for some now being told they have to go be drug tested just adds on.

Is drug testing consider a violation of rights?

Several articles that have been analyzed to address this question show that in affect it is Unconstitutional to
have people be sent out to be drug tested because they are thought to be under an illegal or control substance. From
the article of Salon a veteran was interviewed that lives in the state of Florida. Florida was not one of the beginning
seven states that were part of first passing the law to drug test individuals thats why it wasnt added to the first
question. But, what Florida did was it made anyone who was applying for welfare take the drug test . Everyone that
was applying for the drug test had to pay out of pocket for it and that if the tested negative they would be rein burst
by the state as a result only 108 tested positive of 4,086 applicants. The veteran that was interviewed did say that he
absolutely felt violated as someone who fought for the country now asked to compromise
constitutional right. The Florida law was stopped by the Federal Court because it was
conflicting with the forth amendment of unreasonable search and seizures. Later the law was
ratified and Florida had to go back to the original guidelines of the reasonable suspicion. Now,
looking at other articles such as ACLU it states that it is Unconstitutional to have people be drug
tested but that many politician still try to push on it to gain voters. Now why voters? As,
mentioned in the introduction many tax payers are angry that they are getting debited so much
money to pay for the programs when it might be used for other things. And politician sees it that
if they push for it than more tax payers will want them in office. Knowing, that the welfare
applicants are not being treated with the proper courtesy as of everyone else.

Conclusion:
The welfare drug testing is something that is not helping the government save money but rather
making them spend more. After addressing the four more typical questions asked by people on
why it should or shouldnt be done, its interpreted that it has more negative than good. Its good
that the government is trying to help reduce the programs help in order to invest in other things
but violating Constitutional rights is not the way to go.

Bibliography:
(n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2015, from http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-welfarerecipients-be-tested-for-drugs
5 reasons drug testing welfare recipients is profoundly stupid. (n.d.). Retrieved December 07,
2015, from
http://www.salon.com/2015/10/17/5_reasons_drug_testing_welfare_recipients_is_profoundly_st
upid_partner/

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION Bill of Rights in Action. (n.d.). Retrieved

December 10, 2015, from http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-14-3-a-howwelfare-began-in-the-united-states.html
Origins of the State and Federal Public Welfare Programs (1932 - 1935) - Social Welfare History
Project. (2011, January 19). Retrieved December 6, 2015, from
http://www.socialwelfarehistory.com/public-welfare/origins-of-the-state-federal-public-welfareprograms/

What is TANF & How Can it Help Me? (n.d.). Retrieved December 09, 2015, from
http://singleparents.about.com/od/financialhelp/p/TANF.htm
What 7 States Discovered After Spending More Than $1 Million Drug Testing Welfare
Recipients. (2015, February 26). Retrieved December 01, 2015, from
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/