Welfare Drug Testing

Someone sent me this email which I thought was kind of interesting:

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their BUTT, doing drugs, while I work. . .

Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? Pass this along if you agree or simply delete if you don't. Hope you all will pass it along, though . . . Something has to change in this country -- and soon!


I really like the gist of the email, but like many of these types of editorial email I feel that they don’t really address the problem or consider the consequences and long term impact or the proposed solution. In this example, it’s mandating drug testing for welfare recipients.

I looked it up and the cost for drug testing could range anywhere from $25.00 to $90 per-test (depending on volume). That also doesn’t include the collection fee, which can cost upwards of another $20 per test.

According to a government site I hit, approximately 5,760,476 people received welfare in the month of September, 2000. Trying to find more recent number proved challenging, but there was a notable decline in welfare recipients since that time period. It looks like it could be as low as 2,000,000 people in the last few years.

BTW – This is strictly welfare and does not include any other types of aid.

For the sake of argument, I’m going to round that number up a tad to 2.5 million people. I think 2.5 million people certainly qualifies for a “bulk discount” on drug testing. So do we do this when they come to get their checks, once a quarter, or once a year?

According to statistics a fair number of people don’t stay on welfare more than a year, so you would probably have to do it once a month.

Now, if we take the low end of the cost for drug testing (about $45 by the time you collect and test) that is a simple equation of $45 x 2,500,000 or $112,500,000 a month, or a total of 1,350,000,000 per year. That’s in the billions, folks. And just who do you think is going to have to pay for that?

And I’m not even considering all the additional paperwork and employees needed to keep track of all this. Then, there is the ultimate issue of addressing whether or not we are really helping these people.

If welfare is created to assist people that have come upon hard times, are we really going to tell them “sorry, you smoked a joint so we can’t cut you a check” and send them back onto the street or wherever else without ANY money or recourse? That’s just inviting crime and poverty – exactly the opposite intention of welfare.