Does the welfare provided by the government give an individual the privilege to misuse it as one wants to? Should the fund actually intended for the benefits of the entire family be misused for buying drugs for a single person? No of course not! It absolutely is a non-acceptable and a non-tolerable practice to waste the money provided by government, on buying drugs for an individual rather than buying food for the entire family.
People receiving welfare is actually a programme to help the poor people or the underprivileged who even suffer to serve the basic daily necessities to their family. This mainly includes people who have minimal or no amount of money to spend on the basic needs for their family or themselves. The government thus aids to provide them with welfare in form of cash and other benefits like food stamps or even employment. The process involves them to get registered on the government records which later are cross checked in order to avoid any fraudulent activities. The program being a temporary assistance to the needy family allows a low income family to have a source of income even in the most challenging times. So far the picture is too good. But aren’t there any blemishes on the advantageous image of the practice? The answer to this question is a ‘yes’. No coin is completely biased. There are ugly facts trying to taint the attractiveness of the welfare schemes and the most compelling one is the practice of misusing the welfare fund for drug consumption.
Proposal for drug testing the recipients of public assistance benefits however has been put forth by many states in the past years as of Federal Reform since 1996. In the year 2009, over twenty states proposed a legislation commanding drug testing as a pre-condition for availing the public assistance so offered. In 2010, ten more states proposed similar legislations. None of these propositions became a law because of the fact that they were dependent on mistrustful drug tests. (Drug testing for welfare recipient)
These proposals however started gaining momentum in 2011 when three states passed this legislation. Later in 2012 four states enacted this as a law. Since then two states passed this legislation in 2013 and two more in 2014. This brought the total of eleven states under its ambit. Moving into the specification one observes that Kansas in 2013 enacted the legislation requiring the applicants and recipients to be drug tested if they fall in the zone of suspicion for using controlled substances. A similar move in 2012 by Utah has been providing strength to the practice of drug testing. Utah passed a legislation which asked the applicants to complete a written screening involving questions for drug use. Georgia on the other hand, passed legislation for all the applicants getting benefitted from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to undergo drug testing (Drug testing for welfare recipient). The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a program that focuses to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency. Under this scheme, states receive grants to design and operate programs to help the needy families (Acf.hhs.gov). Moreover, Tennessee also approved a bill asking the department to develop a plan for drug abuse testing for all consumers. Even Oklahoma passed a measure requiring all applicants for TANF to be screened for illegal drug use.
These acts require the recipients of the public welfare benefits to go through the drug test in order to ensure that they are not consuming drugs. If a person refuses to appear for the test or delays the test, benefits can be denied. In case the test results are positive, a warning is initially given which later can change into denial of benefits. Although the process is a bit different in Mississippi it still serves the same purpose. In Mississippi HB 49 bill as it is named so, requires the recipients to fill a questionnaire based on which determination of likelihood of drug-use can be detected following which the person would be required to appear for the test. This bill also states that if the parent loses the right to be aided by government, his children may still receive welfare from a third party. Interestingly, U.S. government spent over $900 billion on 70 different means-tested welfare programs this year. These programs provide food, housing, medical care, cash and social services to poor and low-income American citizens. (‘How Much are We Spending on Welfare Programs?’)
These benefits however are being provided by the government with a motive to help the people in need. The government provide this assistance from the fund deposited by the tax collected from citizens. Hence, misusing the hard earned money of the citizens in consumption of drug is highly commendable. Many of the citizens support the practice of drug testing stating a lot of the justifiable reason. The most important being the misuse of hard earned money in the purchase of drugs which could otherwise have been utilised for some fruitful purpose by the government. The government, being the decider of the fate of a country must address this issue with a stricter note. The money, if would have been utilised for the right purpose, it surely would have provided assistance in many fields including the education of a child. Other citizens stating it as an incorrect measure to curb the practice support their stand with many absurd reasons such as the non-changing habit of a drug consumer and the chances of death in case of sudden halt in consumption. The reasons surely are not strong enough to overshadow the benefits of the practice of drug testing.
Moreover, the best point in this law is that the children of the parents who are denied welfare can still avail benefits from a third party. The government fully understands the situation and the drawback of denial for the children. Due to the usage of the provided fund for illicit drugs family is left with no money. The children hence are compelled to get involved in the practice of child labour putting their education at stake. Food and proper sanitation are too compromised without sufficient fund.
Many people even think it as not humane as it interferes with the rights of the poor as a result of their scrutiny without any proof. They believe that these people already have enough sufferings and problems to deal with. The reasons are not strong enough as they neglect the lacunas of the practice.
There were various attempts by the American Civil Liberties Union- ACLU, which debated that the fourth amendment protects the citizens from being enquired and searched without a probable cause. It is correctly objected but the question stands how else can this problem be solved? The objections were ruled out when the law was enacted in 2011. (Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients and Public Assistance)
The test checks for set number of drugs and it can miss out a few drugs. But it is the best method of ceasing the use of drugs. The taxpayer’s money should not be spent to buy drugs. Many employers require their employees to go through a drug test for holding them responsible for any wrong act while recruiting them. Sometimes a surprise test is also taken. If the employee fails the test, no pay check is given. Then why can’t the government do the same thing when it comes to these aids? (Finding a Purpose In The Pain)
Dr. Pollack (Substance Abuse Policy Research Program) stated that psychiatric disorders are more prevalent amidst welfare recipients than drug use. He also reported that 20% of welfare beneficiaries admit to recent use of illicit drugs.
“The Government continues to turn a blind eye to a system fraught with abuse”- said a US Congressmen when asked to give his views on this case.
There might be people in favour or against this act but it will become a well-managed plan to keep the people providing money and the people in need of money to be connected. With inclusion of few other drugs this test can be further improved.
So testing along with proper care and programmes to guide the drug-abusers is the best way to deal with this problem. The welfare programmes should be built such that the people receive benefits but also be self-sufficient and less dependent on the government.
We all know how drugs can be harmful to us but it is also equally harmful to the people around us. Drugs make people anti-social many times leading to arguments and physical torture or assault. They are believed to take us away to a peaceful place and make us forget our worries but they don’t end our worries. They can relax our mind for some time but in that time period no one could know what we are losing in our life. They bring out a different side of us which not even our loved ones know. Scaring people by violently showing them how broken or troubled we are is not what anyone wants.
References
Askheritage.org,. 'Spending On Wellfare Programs - Askheritage'. N.p., 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Fenley, James L. Finding A Purpose In The Pain. Las Vegas, Nev.: Central Recovery Press, 2012. Print.
Ncsl.org,. 'Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients And Public Assistance'. N.p., 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Acf.hhs.gov, (2014). About TANF | Office of Family Assistance | Administration for Children and Families. [online] Available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/programs/tanf/about [Accessed 19 Nov. 2014].
