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Mandatory Drug Testing for Public Assistance

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Mandatory Drug Testing for Public Assistance
Mandatory Drug Testing For Public Assistance

Mandatory drug testing should be required for people wanting public assistance. It is used in order to stop habitual offenders that misuse the benefits that the government provides to us, the tax payers. It is our hard earned tax dollars that fund these benefits. This argument is to reason that we need to take control as employers to stop the misuse of benefits that pay for illegal drugs.

As a tax payer, you are considered an employer for all of the recipients of state and federal assistance. Public assistance recipients are the employees of the tax payers. Drug tests are then used to make sure that these funds of the employers are not abused by people on public assistance purchasing illegal drugs. States have an obligation to hold those on public assistance accountable for their actions. Receiving a public assistance is a privilege, not a right. The debate on drug testing public assistance recipients is simply about the responsible use of our hard earned tax dollars.

One-third of American corporations now require their employees to be tested for drug use. These requirements are compatible with general employment law while promoting the public 's interest in fighting drug use. Moreover, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that drug testing programs are constitutionally permissible within both the public and the private sectors. It appears mandatory drug testing is a permanent fixture of American corporate life. (Bakaly, C. G., Grossman, 1989)

Since its inception in 1939, The United States public assistance program has helped families in crisis. Other welfare programs, such as TANF and WIC, have truly made a difference in the lives of American families. Families are kept together, children are healthier and often times, recipients are able to use the welfare to help them as they find a new job. In some cases, welfare might even save lives. But, of course, the system has its flaws, and many



Cited: (Bakaly, C. G., Grossman, J. M. 1989) http://www.hughlafollette.com/papers/drug.testing.htm (Rep. Rick Scott, Florida 2011) http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/06/01/florida.welfare.drug.testing/index.html (Rachel L. Carpenter, 2010) http://voices.yahoo.com/should-welfare-public-assistance-recipients-be-5911648.html?cat=7 (Catherine Whittenburg, Tampa Tribune 2011) http://www2.tbo.com/news/politics/2011/aug/24/3/welfare-drug-testing-yields-2-percent-positive-res-ar-252458/ (Benjamin Franklin, The London Chronicle, 1766) http://www.historycarper.com/resources/twobf3/price.htm (Arizona Rep. Kimberly Yee, 2012) http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/story/2012-03-18/drug-tests-welfare-Yee/53620412/1

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