Drug Testing for Welfare - Help Me See the Light

[Sistinas666]

Originally Posted by Ferox13

Better to spend the money on legal drugs like booze.

Drug testing is expensive and not that accurate.

Also are people considering marijuana one of the drugs they should be testing for?

Yes. Smoking reefer is a luxury, not a right.

[Ferox13]

Originally Posted by Sistinas666

Yes. Smoking reefer is a luxury, not a right.

Then they should test for alcohol as well?

[Fearonsarms]

Originally Posted by Ferox13

Then they should test for alcohol as well?

100% agreed

[Fearonsarms]

Coincidentally I am actually completely against drug testing for welfare-I hope the people for it get made redundant then get their Welfare stopped due to drinking alcohol then get made homeless and see how they like it.

[ChronoGrl]

I find drug testing to be not entirely accurate and also an invasion of privacy. It bothers me that I had to give not one, but two drug tests over the course of my time here (once when I started with the consulting agency and once when I was hired perm). What bothers me is this:

a. What if it gave a false positive because of something that I ate?
b. What if it gave a true positive because I had legitimately smoked marijuana?

To be honest, who CARES if I like to smoke recreationally? As long as it doesn't get in the way of me showing up for work and doing my job, I don't think that it's my company's business. I'm a fucking "business analyst" - My job in no way shape or form impacts the lives or health of anyone else... I agree with Wicker - If drug testing should be enforced, I think that it should be for workers who perform jobs that impact other's lives (doctors, air traffic controllers, pilots, drives, etc.).

Also, as it has been mentioned, I find it ridiculous that companies test for "DRUGS" but not for alcohol.

Anyway - Building on that rant, Should people be drug tested for Welfare?

No. Not with the way that drug testing currently exists in that it lumps people who smoke weed in with people who do "harder" substances. Also, I think that if we want to be stringent, alcohols should be considered a drug.

In my example above with my workplace - I find it a violation of my privacy that I could be tested. However, if, say, my recreational habits impede my ability to work, then I think I should be penalized - Same thing if I'm lazy and sucky at my job (sober), then I should be penalized.

My point is that my work value should be judged based on work performance and not whether or not I pee clean.

Same issue with Welfare:

a. If people think that people on Welfare are "lazy" and "not looking for jobs" and "taking advantage of the system," then there should be clear goals that they must meet (e.g. Must prove that they are looking for/interviewing for jobs, etc.) in order to receive their Welfare checks.
b. If people think that people on Welfare are spending money on drugs and alcohol instead of food, clothing, etc., then perhaps Welfare should provide more foodstamps and WIC instead of flat money, ensuring that people are spending it on what they need.


I don't think that drug testing is the answer - I think that there are other ways to identify people who may be abusing the system and/or curtailing abuse.

[Fearonsarms]

Just as an added note-I ONCE did a job that involved me working in a prison-to my horror I discovered that inmates got around the random drug testing by smoking heroin instead of weed-Why?Because heroin leaves their system in 48hours whereas weed stays in their system for 4weeks! So people would go into prison for smoking/dealing weed and come out heroin addicts. So for those who think drug testing is a good idea-remember its more likely to catch weed smokers than heroin smokers. DRUG TESTING DOES NOT WORK-plus its easy to throw stones at other people's glass houses.

[ZombieDrone]

Personally, I think that drug tests shouldn't apply for welfare, simply because it's for the most part unnecassarily inefficient.

I'm currently recieving job seeking benefit after graduating university with a degree (fingers crossed it seems more than likely that I'll be employed on thursday thanks to a job I applied for have asked about choosing shifts and I've had o fill in a lot of paper work, sign employment contracts etc.) and support people being given benefits if they need it as I'm something of a Democratic-Socialist (NOT a Communist as some people believe, if that were true Scandinavia would be the new Soviet Union)

I'm a teetotaller who doesn't take anything stronger than caffiene, and I imagine the vast majority of job applicants don't take drugs, perhaps I'm being naive. It would be far too time consuming to drug test everyone for drugs, imo, and would rarely yield any significant results. Not to mention that under the circumstances I think it's a strong breach of privacy.

I do agree that it's good to have tests if it's require for the job or if it has a major impact like mentioned earlier with drivers, doctors etc.

[FreddyMyers]

Cheebs ans Chrono nailed it. At 18 my sister had a child with a scumbag who basically disappeared afterwards. Couple that with undependable/unreliable parents, and medical issuse for years now and youll have a reasoning for welfare or gvmnt help. It was nothing but nitemares obtaining the assistance needed b/c of the people who never try to better their situation or just use up the money on drugs or alcohol. She doesnt drink or smoke and is in no way a bad person but b/c the gvrnmt is so busy dealing with people ive seen firsthand that can only be described as filth, my sister had to wait weeks and months or be sent from office to office just to get her all the paper work it would take to get her assisitance.

The whole time while on it if she made too much money she was immidiatly taken off it. The cut off line was so low though(Cant remember the amount) that the welfare system was keeping her from getting into a better situation. Make too much-your cut off, have go back on it-two weeks worth of paper work through about 8 different offices. Like i said, a nitemare. Medical issues kept her from working the 40 hrs a week like most. The money coming from the 20 hrs was too much for her to stay on welfare yet def wasnt enough to live off of. Years of dealing with that while crackheads and severe alcohol abusers got their check every two weeks left me rather bitter reguarding this issue. In my opinion it should be easier to get for the people that need it to bouce back and harder for the ones who dont give a shit and want nothing more to do than simply live the lifestyle provided by the gvrnmnts allowed income.

Provide a means of changing the lifestyle that got you onto welfare. Whether thats via drugtesting or whateverthefuck, seems like their lazy on the efforts of improving the quality of life for that demographic. I think the area where i live had alot to do with the issues me and my sis had i.e. Asbury Park region which has high end income on one side of the tracks and a notorious poverty on the other. I really hope its not like that around the rest of the country. If so that is scary.

Sorry for the rant.......couldnt help it

[Elvis_Christ]

This thread has been great for seeing who I'd actually get along with outside of the board.

[Ferox13]

Originally Posted by Elvis_Christ

This thread has been great for seeing who I'd actually get along with outside of the board.

True dat....