I respond to a few different people here:



That must be a cultural difference between FL and CA.

Or maybe everyone just knows how to circumvent the tests. Like...many of my friends are committed weed smokers, and they have a cleansing routine they do before they take pee tests. No one ever seems to get caught.

In any case, I guarantee the % of california welfare recipients who smoke week is MUCH higher than 1%. Weed is very common and accepted out here.






You have no idea where I've been, and what I've done. Its precisely because of my experiences with poverty that I speak with authority on this topic.

No one will get drug tested 'because they are poor' - they might get drugs tested because they CHOOSE to participate in a government program.




I personally knew illegal aliens who successfully scammed the welfare system. At the moment, I can't think of any mexicans that I knew. These were illegal eastern europeans.

BoredInAZ is right. Its not terribly hard to produce fake docs, and the overworked, careless people working at the welfare office fall for it.




I would fully expect that a drug testing program would go hand-in-hand with a rehabilitation program. I would oppose a policy of pressing charges for drug use - that just clutters up our legal system with poor people who did no other wrong!

If they pass a law requiring drug testing as a prereq for welfare, guess what? Congress people would be following the same law! The day this law applies to a congressperson is the day they apply for welfare.

I think you could make a good argument that congresspeople should also be drug tested, though. Hell, we could make it so that every human being who receives money from the government in any way shape or form should be drug tested.

Shortly thereafter we might start voting for the sane decriminalization of the milder drugs.

Well, I guess I still have the advantage having been a welfare recipient who got herself off welfare and ended up working in the welfare office and know how many false IDs showed up. It is not a whole lot that do that. It is always funny to me also how there will be all these false claims of knowledge of this illegal activity without any action from the "knower" which then makes them an accessory to the crime...lol

That said, you have a biased view because you ***-UME a lot.

That said, lets just drug test everyone over 18 all the time by your logic. Who cares how much it costs or if it is constitutional, right?

Weren't you the same one who wanted to tell people what they should eat too?

I guess human civil rights and freedoms are not a priority for some.

Not sure when they changed that for I know for sure when I had to go for assistance after my divorce at that time they were on welfare if they were illegal.

Its not true, there are a TON of illegals on welfare and ilegally claiming benefits.

thats why they are called 'criminals

there are also criminals committing identity fraud for bank transactions, should we therefore drug test anyone who opens an account?

Be specific, all illegals care called criminals..............

anyone who breaks a law is called 'criminal', it follows those entering the country AGAINST the law would fit in the category

They committed a crime entering this country illegally(makes them criminals), they are comitting a crime continuing to be here illegally, they are committing a crime using false identification to obtain employment and avade the law(which is multiple crimes) and the list goes on and on.

Its not true, there are a TON of illegals on welfare and ilegally claiming benefits.

It would be a waste of money, not worth what they are trying to 'save' by doing it.

The only applicable situation for a drug test is for a JOB.

.. and know how many false IDs showed up.

It is always funny to me also how there will be all these false claims of knowledge of this illegal activity without any action from the "knower" which then makes them an accessory to the crime...lol

That said, you have a biased view because you ***-UME a lot.

I've totally made assumptions - reasonable assumptions. But i'll bite: State some of the assumptions you think I have made!

Who would have figured that assuming that if you are poor you are a druggie wouldn't fly?

I know they can't help themselves, they have such a prejudice way of thinking that they have to be prejudice all the damn time.

But I sure am glad to see the feds have some sense.

Failed logic again. Are you saying they assume everyone who tries to get a license is blind because they require an eye exam? No that is false.

Getting welfare is a privilege and if a stipulation of that is that you stay sober why is that unreasonable? Why should we spend tax dollars to help feed someones habit? So no its not unconstitutional. They can choose to not get government aid and not submit to the drug test. I think its funny that you think proving that you are not doing something illegal is unconstitutional.

I wont make the constitution argument, but I would certainly consider it unjust to insist on drug testing for anyone that needs help , which is what welfare is. There is also plenty of corporate welfare,, which should also be considered a privilege, yet there is not a rush to insist ceos and monopoly owners undergo such testing to continue receiving those perks.

As I stated before, I think merely receiving some form of financial assistance should not be grounds to require a drug test (and would cost a fortune to implement). I do think where 'performance' is an issue, as in a job related assistance, drug testing is as reasonable as vision testing for the performance related privilege of driving a car.

You don't get it do you? Some people wouldn't need help if they were not feeding a drug habit. If they had to chose to eat or buy drugs I am sure in the end they would chose eating. By giving a druggie welfare money they are allowing them to do both and never change their situation. I think it pays for itself in the long run. You get the druggies out of the system or you get them off drugs which actually allows them to have a more successful working life and can eventually get them off the welfare system.

You assumed they were illegal?

How could you know on sight?

The feds have had the same rules about no illegals getting assistance for a long time.

People have made assumptions based on profiling that they believed people were illegal when they were not which has caused a whole lotta false information to be spread.

Lots of victims out there of this false information living with all this hatred festering inside of themselves over false information.

It is sad.

To receive benefits from the government you have to provide proof of your citizenship and if you can't we used to refer you to a charity that might be able to help you, but you didn't get any benefits while waiting.

Actually this isn't true.

They are asked if they are citizens and required to show proof of it. If they do not meet these requirements they cannot get assistance.

Assuming that all recipients are druggies before they are even on the program is discriminatory and ridiculous.