Drug Testing Welfare Recipients Essay

Many people are constantly discussing the issue of welfare recipients abusing the system and spending their money on drugs while receiving government assistance. This issue has brought forward a possible solution of states passing legislation that will require welfare applicants to submit to a drug test before receiving any sort of government assistance. Drug testing welfare applicants before allowing them to receive assistance is a positive idea because most employers require drug tests to be taken by applicants pre-employment. This will help make sure that the government funding is being put toward the family and the needs of the household, and also because in the future it will benefit the children growing up in the home. All welfare applicants should be drug tested prior to receiving funds. Most employers today require pre-employment drug screens and some employers also drug test their employees randomly throughout their time of employment. They do this to ensure that they are hiring a responsible employee that will not show up to their place of employment while under the influence of illegal substances. As everyone knows, illegal substances that employees test for are typically mind altering medications that prevent people from functioning normally and doing their job to their full potential. Working while under the influence of illegal drugs also poses a safety risk to the employee and surrounding employees. If to earn an income at most jobs people are required to pass a pre-employment drug screen, there is no reason that to earn an income provided by the state should be any different. Some employers also require their employees to submit to random drug tests while employed with their company or business so that no one can â€Å"cheat the system. † This helps employers make sure that their employees are drug free at all times. When a welfare applicant is granted assistance, the state assumes that all of their means of income are being used to buy items that are needed by the family and by the household. However that is not always the case. In some welfare cases the recipients are abusing drugs. By drug testing the recipients before granting their request for assistance and then randomly drug testing them throughout the time frame that assistance is required, this will significantly lower the amount of recipients that abuse drugs. Arizona representative and member of the Committee on Health and Human services, Kimberly Yee states that, â€Å"Arizona established a program in 2009 to test welfare recipients for drug abuse when there’s a reasonable suspicion of drug use. This program confronts addicts with their drug abuse problems so they may quickly receive treatment and become productive members of society again. † If welfare recipients confront their problem and become productive members of society it will ensure that any possible income will be going toward things that the family and children need such as food and clothing. Children who are raised by sober parents start off with a chance at a brighter future than children who are raised under the care of a drug addict. Parents who work regular jobs and are required to pass a pre-employment drug screen are able to provide more for their children. Instead of spending their money on drugs or alcohol, they use it to buy items for their children. Sober parents have more money to buy food to make sure that their children are well nourished. Sober parents also have more money to buy items like books, coloring books, crayons, markers, or arts and crafts supplies which will all be assets to a child’s learning and development. Children of sober parents are more likely to be able to join groups or teams in schools also which will help them socialize. All in all, growing up with sober parents benefits children and can seriously affect their future positively. Growing up with parents who use illegal drugs could create a pattern throughout their children, and they could end up using drugs as well when they grow up. The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children’s Bureau, ICF International states that, â€Å"Children who experience either prenatal or postnatal drug exposure are at risk for a range of emotional, academic, and developmental problems. For example, they are more likely to: experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, suffer from psychiatric disorders, exhibit behavior problems, score lower on school achievement tests, and demonstrate difficulties in school† (â€Å"Protecting Children†). If we can lessen the amount of children that are forced to grow up with â€Å"high† parents, we can brighten the future for everybody. Drug testing welfare applicants before allowing them to receive government assistance will be beneficial because most employers require drug tests to be taken by applicants pre-employment, it will help make sure that the government funding is being put toward the needs of the household, and also because in the future it will benefit the children growing up in the home. If to go out into the public and get a job you are required to pass a pre-employment drug screen, then there is no reason that to earn income from the government should be treated any differently. Drug testing welfare recipients will increase the number of children raised by sober parents instead of parents that are under the influence of illegal substances. States passing legislation to require welfare applicants to submit to a drug test before they are granted assistance will only benefit people positively. Works Cited â€Å"Protecting Children in Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders. † Child Welfare Information Gateway. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Yee, Kimberly. â€Å"Opposing view: No drug test, no welfare. † USA Today News. Ed. Brent Jones. USA Today, 18 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.