Controversial Talks: Welfare and Drug Testing

Disclaimer: if you don’t like reading about controversial topics then I am going to stop you right here. If you are willing to continue reading then I must expressly remind you that this is my opinion and you are free to disagree. However, even though you are free to disagree, have your own opinion and believe whatever you want, I kindly ask that you refrain from leaving any mean comments, and just keep those to yourself. Also, please also note, I say “you” a lot in this post to express my point, I don’t mean you the reader, it is simply subjective to some nameless “you” in which this rant post applies.

Now, on with that out of the way, onto the actual post…

Listed among the numerous controversial topics of today enters onto the playing field the subject of drug testing for welfare and how we should deal with it.. The bomb, a.k.a. subject of this post, has been dropped, are you still with me? If you are, the biggest debate of this subject is should we drug test people in order for them to receive welfare benefits.

Some of the biggest arguments for each side:

Now, here is my opinion: Yes, I do feel that applicants for welfare should be drug tested. No, it is not just because “I had to get drug tested for my job, pay taxes and pay for your welfare” argument, but this statement does still hold a lot of validity, and yes, I do agree with that statement.

BUT, if you are getting welfare, you shouldn’t resign yourself to living solely off welfare, if you have a job and are working to get off welfare then, you go and I am here cheering for you in spirit. But if you don’t, you are going to have to get a job, and you are going to have to apply, try and support yourself and you will have to get drug tested if you get a job. So I feel like we should treat welfare like applying for a job. If you fail a drug test then no, I don’t believe you should have welfare. As stereotypical and mean as this may make me sound, I have seen enough instances of people abusing the welfare system to say that if you fail a drug test, how do I know that you aren’t wasting the money on buying more drugs rather than actually trying to support yourself? (I feel like the whole welfare system is flawed and has a lot of issues, but that is a rant for another time.)

Plus, you are applying for FREE MONEY! The least I feel that the government and tax payers supporting these social programs can ask of you is that you be freaking sober and are willing to put in the work to get back on your feet.

It annoys me so much when people say drug testing for welfare is against some kind of right. No it isn’t. Excuse me, I had to get drug tested for my job and so has everyone else I know. This is where I will say it: if it isn’t against a right to be drug tested for a job to pay the tax money for social programs, then it sure as hell isn’t against any right to be drug tested for welfare and receive said tax money.

So if you are applying for free money, say it with me, FREE MONEY!, then you should damn well be able to pass a drug test and prove in some small way that you are capable of being smart with the money you are being given. The reason I agree with the earlier statement is because yes, if I am going to work my butt off and have a chunk of my paycheck taken off for government taxes, which guess what, a portion is spent on social programs, I feel you should be able to pass a drug test, because I would really rather not have that money go to feeding some person’s drug addiction.

So in conclusion to my semi-rant/opinion on this topic: yes I am absolutely for this policy. I don’t even think it should be controversial because it is, in my opinion, pure logic.