The ethics of drug testing has of late become a major concern for many organizations and companies. Mandatory drug testing should be required for individuals seeking assistance from the public. Almost in all jobs, organizations and companies drug tests is required before hiring one as an employee. Drug testing is a good idea in a number of ways, one, it helps drug users get all the assistance they need while providing safety for their families. It therefore greatly helps in ending the cycle of poverty. Secondly, it ensures that all persons using taxpayer’s money are utilizing the money in the right way specified for. Third, maintaining benefits from those who refuse drug testing or help may save states lots of money which could initiate resources for other programs that need assistance. Forth, it is used for stopping habitual offenders from misusing government benefits provided to citizens. It is for these reasons that states are adding drug testing in the push to save tax dollars for the welfare of recipients (Benjamin 115).
Increasingly, companies are starting to use it as more people start having issues with it. Drug testing is a safety issue for many companies and despite the cost, 84% of employees are drug testing their employees for safety and health reasons. The aim of these tests is to curb the problems of drug abuse particularly in the workplace. Receiving federal welfare is exceedingly an exclusive privilege to millions of citizens that apply this type of aid. It is therefore considerate for the government to also look at who in particular they ought to pay in order to run these programs and also the specific bodies and persons to make up all rules regarding these programs. It is therefore of paramount importance for drug test to receive government assistance (Bowman 67).
As taxpayers, individuals are considered employers for all the recipients of federal and state assistance. Therefore, public assistance recipients are generally tax payers’ employees. Drug tests are used specifically to ensure that employers’ funds are not in any way abused by persons on public assistance buying illegal drugs. States therefore have a responsibility of holding those on public assistance answerable for their actions. It is not a right but a privilege to receive public assistance. For instance, since initiation of this program in 1939, The United States Public assistance program has all through assisted families in crisis, this system therefore enables recipients in finding new jobs easily (Fiorentino 89). In an effort to help individuals’ live easier and cheaper lives, the government has stepped in to find a profound solution the drug menace that is costing lives yearly (Goldberg 223).
There are numerous questions regarding drug testing and the biggest question is whether drug testing is an ethical way to deciding drug use among employees. In addition, it is also quite difficult to dictate whether these tests are a way of invasion of employee privacy or merely for medical purposes. The right answer to these questions can only be answered if the government is fully behind this initiative. If drug testing can receive assistance from the government, then the dust will settle and all rhetorical questions in peoples’ minds answered since it is very hard to decide employee drug use. Drug testing can be good for other reasons as well. One, withholding benefits can force individuals to seek the assistance they need. Therefore, withholding all the benefits from individuals refusing drug testing or help could save a lot of money which can be utilized to open up resources for other programs needing help. If the government does not intervene, this issue can become a large epidemic issue.
The issue of public assistance in drug tests is growing every year by an average of 2.3% according to the United States Department of Public Health. Using public assistance, more and more states are insisting on testing participants. States such as Georgia, Arizona, California and New York are soon initiating another program to apply aid so as to pass a drug test right before recipients get their handout from government institutions. This is a move to publicize drug testing and it has had good reception in many states. Additionally, drug test for government pay checks is seemingly a nice and considerate idea since it could ensure that persons using taxpayer’s money is utilizing it the right manner that it’s specified for, secondly it could help in ending the cycle of poverty.
The government ought to invest in the training of government employee in various institutions to identify those who are addicted and screen them appropriately so as to assist them through expanding treatment plans. Government drug testing has numerous benefits and it is by far a very good idea, it would allow testers to get tested for the second time in order to confirm their status so as to be given the option go for rehabilitation. Unlike the current move by the corporate of just testing persons and determining their fate or luck, government testing would entail a lot more including, guiding and counselling persons who are addicted to drugs, recruiting those who test positive in various programs in a way to enhance their skills and providing them with the right medication of treatment that would help them reform with the shortest time possible.
There are beneficiaries of the government initiative to assist Individuals facing difficulties. A couple of people who are public assistance particularly in Kansas use food stamp cards to stock their households with stuff. In addition, these people also get social security disability and are entitled to a salary of $70,000 to $80,000 a year. This does not mean that every person should be on public assistance, but it appears that they are on the safer side as compared to the rest in private organizations. These assistance programs would also provide citizens with financial aid and job opportunities. Therefore, the need for the government to intervene in drug tests is a critical issue particularly for persons seeking government support since not all people are financially stable. It is an essential necessity for the government to ensure the well-being of all its citizens. Drug tests can be associated with numerous health effects and behavioural mechanisms as well. Through ensuring that citizens take drug test, government will ensure that its citizens are not at any risks of contracting diseases as a result, it will thrive the healthcare industry of pressure accrued from the increment of patients.
Public administration plays a key role in ensuring that there are drug tests and determines persons who genuinely require government assistance. This is a great move of avoiding the rampant cases of cheat and double-crossing that greatly affect operations of the government especially in healthcare. Intervention of the government in drug testing will change people’s perception of it as many see it as a breach of privacy since the results never declared openly and cases where people are found to be positive, they are never arrested. Subsequently, persons in need of help will accept all the regulations put in place and will have nothing to hide. Everyone will have to accept all regulations put in place regarding the assistance program so long as they are credible and reasonable. People against this law will have no profound reason for this law to be abolished.
Another reason why government intervention in drug tests would be imperative is because it would ensure that all taxes by citizens are accounted for and go to acceptable uses. Through setting up laws on drug testing, it would be the duty of the government to ensure that no cent is wasted on drug addicts. Instead, it would have a duty of ensuring that this money goes to the right hands and helps these people out of addiction through setting up recreational facilities for them and more so, rehabilitation centres. It would be quite an imperative move because through their continued drug use and abuse, these addicts make no step in improving the country’s economic situation; instead they keep supporting illegal business ventures. These programs would also assist in growth of the country since its citizens’ standards of living would be improved and they will have all the basic amenities they need. As a result, the gross domestic product (GDP) of that country could increase and so people’s standards of living would improve. The move by the government to initiate drug tests is an excellent law since it has numerous advantages that benefit both the person in question and the country at large. Among the advantages of this program are, ensuring that taxes are put to beneficial use, safeguarding of health of persons and that at all costs, only genuine cases would be assisted. Additionally, the government would also save a lot of money which it spends on many fraudulent cases where individuals pretend to belong in marginalised and minority groups (Pynes 412).
The process of drug testing is a standard procedure that various companies and organizations require. It helps drug users get all the assistance they need while providing safety for their families although to a great extent it appears that people do not fully benefit from private organization as they could if the government had intervened. The government should therefore be used to assist organizations receive transitional assistance which could help the recipients at work for drug testing (Rosner 324). It could therefore be a necessary and fair act to follow particularly when dealing with government or state related regulations for the good of the society at large. Not all drug users and addicts benefit from drug test programs and as a result, some end up in worse conditions because they do not get the support they need. Also, some people do not find its credibility whatsoever which means that they do not go for these tests willingly and so, there are a lot of unanswered questions in people’s minds of its credibility with private organizations. Therefore, government assistance in drug tests should be used to assist a person or a family on their feet to enable them get the all the support they need as a way to sustain everyone to be happy and healthy.
Works Cited
Benjamin, Gerald. The Oxford Handbook of New York State Government and Politics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.
Bowman, Ann O. M, and Richard C. Kearney. State and Local Government. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Fiorentino, Dary D, Randi Shannahan, and Gene Bergoffen. Operator Drug and Alcohol- Testing Across Modes. Washington, D.C: Transportation Research Board, 2011. Print.
Goldberg, Ray. Drugs Across the Spectrum. United States: Wadsworth, 2013. Print.
Pynes, Joan. Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Strategic Approach. , 2013. Internet resource.
Rosner, Richard. Clinical Handbook of Adolescent Addiction. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. Internet resource.
