Congressman David Rouzer (R-NC) introduced the Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Act, which would improve welfare programs by requiring recipients to pass a drug test in order to be eligible for federal assistance.

This bill requires the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and specified public housing programs to subject individuals to substance-abuse screening and to deny benefits for individuals who test positive for a controlled substance.

For drug testing: “Most employers in this country require workers to pass drug tests as a prerequisite for employment.  The government should expect the same of people who receive food stamps and other federal benefits.  Additionally, taxpayers deserve to know that their money isn’t subsiding a drug addiction, which only leads to a tragic life of dependency,” said Congressman Rouzer. 

Recent estimates from the US found about one in five people receiving welfare had used illicit drugs in the previous year. That makes drug use up to 50% more common in welfare households than the general population.

Taxpayer money should be used responsibly. Drug testing ensures that welfare benefits are not diverted to support substance abuse. The belief is that public funds should not be used to subsidize illegal drug use. Many employment sectors require drug testing, so it is fair to extend this requirement to those receiving public assistance. Private sector employees often have to pass drug tests, so welfare recipients should be subject to similar standards. Surveys and polls often show significant public support for drug-testing welfare recipients.

Those against argue that drug testing welfare recipients as a condition of eligibility is a policy that is scientifically, fiscally, and constitutionally unsound. They argue, despite what some data indicate, welfare recipients are no more likely to use drugs than the rest of the population. The average cost of a drug test is about $42 per person tested, not including the costs of hiring personnel to administer the tests, to ensure confidentiality of results and to run confirmatory tests to guard against false positives resulting from passive drug exposure, cross-identification with legal, prescription drugs such as codeine and legal substances such as poppy seeds. Drug testing of welfare recipients is, therefore not ethically acceptable policy.

Mandatory drug testing without probable cause may violate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches. Courts have struck down some drug testing laws as unconstitutional, citing privacy rights. Drug testing programs can be expensive to implement and maintain, often costing more than they save by disqualifying drug users. Studies show that in many states, the cost of drug testing exceeds the savings from denying benefits to those who fail the test. Implementing drug testing requires significant administrative resources and can slow down the process of providing assistance. States have reported that the bureaucratic complexity of drug testing creates delays and inefficiencies in welfare administration.

Do you think Congress should pass H.R.204, the Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Act?