![]() Several states had a theory: mandating drug tests for welfare applicants would save taxpayer money. Drug Testing Drug-test policies end in failure. Many US states have been pondering and in some cases even acting on the screening of welfare recipients for illicit drug use. The question is, with the current efforts of the war on drugs, how does this fit into the picture? Will randomly testing Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) bear any fruit on this war? Will it help or will it just be a fruitless additional expense where the monies could have been better served elsewhere? Numbers are Dropping Evidence so far, has indicated that the plan does not do much at all towards stopping drug abuse. The number of people that are relying on public assistance has dropped significantly since 1997 and are still even lower than they were prior to the recession that people are just now feeling relief from. Benefits from TANF are extremely low and not even close enough to survive on. This is the result of former president, Bill Clinton’s welfare reform in 1996. The National Conference of State Legislatures indicates that legislation to require some form of drug testing or screening for welfare recipients has been proposed in at least 29 states this year and these measures have passed in eight states. Michigan attempted something similar to this some 13 years ago and was very unsuccessful, yet they are assessing this same action again. Studies have shown that while substance abuse is an issue in the welfare population it was not extensive. Studies also revealed that randomly screening women who have a substance abuse problem but count on state assistance to raise their children is not a very prosperous choice. Research and studies have indicated that around 20% of TANF recipients admitted that they smoked marijuana within the past year. However, the substance abuse was not the most prevalent barrier to self-sufficiency. The main hindrances were depression, physical health problems and inadequate education. More problems than Anything Opponents of the screening of welfare recipients for illicit drug use argue that resources for this process would best be used in other, more serious places. The welfare system is already struggling to meet the needs of child protection and the drug treatment systems. Poorly executed screening policies only burden the already problematic system. Physical and mental health problems are far more widespread but little is done to address them. In fact, in the Michigan Women’s Employment Study, 25 percent suffered from major depression, 47 percent reported transportation difficulties, and 19 percent had a physical health problem. Drug screening is very valuable when it is used in the proper approach. The intention of this type of drug screening is to identify people who are using drugs illicitly or suffering from drug abuse or dependence. They would then receive a referral for specialty addiction treatment and their future TANF benefits would be contingent on that. Only 3.6 percent of welfare recipients satisfied screening criteria for these disorders.','url':'https://kleantreatmentcenters.com/welfare-drug-testing-is-it-what-it-is-cracked-up-to-be/','og_descr':'Many US states have been pondering and in some cases even acting on the screening of welfare recipients for illicit drug use. The question is, with the current efforts of the war on drugs, how does this fit into the picture? Will randomly testing Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) bear any fruit on this … ![]()
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Март 2019
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