Drug Tests for Welfare

[David]

Currently in certain parts of  Canada drugs/alcohol abuse tests aren't required to apply and receive welfare benefits because it breaches people's personal privacy rights (stating that it's unconstitutional). I think this is relevant, for if I'm going to be paying my taxes towards the poor I'm gonna wanna make sure that it's going towards necessities such as shelter and food, rather than drugs (heroin, cocaine etc..)

 

Here's the article which reviews the discussion...

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2090871,00.html

 

What do you guys/girls think of this?

[God ~blogs admin ~]

http://www.newser.com/story/127011/only-2-failed-florida-welfare-dr...

[God ~blogs admin ~]

Simply to add on a bit of writing.

I've the personal view that such beliefs - that all on welfare folk got there due to additive habits - is complete and utter poppycock. Take an example of the Booth and Rowntree. They complied individual studies into the cases in which poverty was the prime concern. They both found that instead of the secondary poverty - the ability to gain money, but spent it elsewhere - was a smaller factor than primary poverty - the inability to work or to hold a long term job -.

 

 Now, if we're going to demonize the working class, who has to rely on such projects as welfare, why the hell aren't we focusing on the employers? If people need to get on welfare, there's hell of a more chance its due to there being hardly any jobs on the go, even whence there is, the pay cannot sustain a normal family because the employer is taking advantage. 

 

But hey, sure drug test them all!

... Because that ain't going to cost anything...

[Vertigo_One [Ops Mod]]

Agreed. The costs of drug testing them all would negate any losses through spending welfare on people who spend the money on addictive substances.

However TWR, I don't think that the OP's suggestion was that all people on welfare were there becacuse of addictive habbits, but rather that giving money to people on addictive substances was a bad thing, which it is, but testing costs more.

[God ~blogs admin ~]

Oh of course, of course. But rather, I've found that argument comes up far too often when talking about welfare programs. Best to shot the bull before you get mauled, if you know what I mean.

[Latch33570]

If the test is mandatory they just stay clean or take the drug flushing medicine to get ready for the test. Testing does no good unless its random and ongoing.

[God ~blogs admin ~]

Even then, you're just wasting the money you saved, by using the drug testing means. Its trading one bag for another one more useless.

[Fake Crowley]

The way I see it, if someone goes around testing the needy for drugs before they give them their welfare, someone else--probably me--will go around handing out poppyseed bagels. Just for evil's sake.

[Alix Laya]

I think it would take several bagels for them to test positive for any opiates.  But whatever.  Evil me likes the way you think.

[Latch33570]

Fake Crowly  has a point. According to the show "mythbusters" poppyseed bagels will make you turn up positive. I knew some people in the navy that were kicked out for popping positive. They swore they didnt do drugs. I believed them.

[Alix Laya]

Opiates are either made from poppy seeds or chemically similar.  I can't remember which.

[Johanna]

The real problem here is really that if you are on welfare and have a drug or alcoholproblem, you don't to be punished even more. You need help. Some of these people have kids as well, which people always seem to forget. Is it really okay to punish children and putting them out in the street because their parents took a few wrong turns in life?

[David]

Well you have to consider the fact that these people are addicts and will mostly likely resort to spending their money on drugs oppose to their loved ones..