...Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients "I'm not downing the welfare system; I just believe that it should be reserved for emergency situations, like people losing their jobs because of the economy and the disabled." Ranee brings up a point that many Americans agree with. The modern welfare system began during the great depression and has grown ever since. Many Americans have become concerned that the welfare system is hugely abused and a majority of the money goes to drugs and alcohol, and that welfare recipients should be drug tested in order to receive benefits. While this seems like a logical idea, many argue that testing them would cost more and can be unconstitutional to the welfare user. Drug testing should be required of welfare users. Primarily, Ranee...
Words: 985 - Pages: 4
...Should drug testing be mandatory to receive welfare? Americans face tough challenges in life, and some may have to apply for financial aid for federal or state funding through rough times such has lost of job or current job not providing enough money pay the bills. Those who do receive assistance, should they be drug tested? There are several Americans who will agree with the drug testing because they feel their tax dollars are being wasted on those who do not qualify for assistance. The welfare program is there to help those in need. The ones that are suffering due to lack of employment or lay off should be receiving the assistance. There are several families out there struggling but the parents are causing their struggle because of drugs. Many people decide that drugs are more important than their families because they are so addicted to the drug. If drug users can afford to pay for their drugs, than why can’t they also afford their own food? A person should put their own life and safety and as well as their family before they purchase any drugs. If they decide to buy drugs, than they are not in much need for TANF, food stamps, or any other federal or state assistance. If they take a drug test and fail the test, the state should have their own laws and take action for the safety of the family. This could mean more children in foster or shelters due to the parents lack of judgment of what is important. One in six Americans are relying on government anti-poverty programs...
Words: 1445 - Pages: 6
...for employees, it would be in Castulon Corporation’s best interest to establish a drug and alcohol testing program. Due to the nature of work and the type of product produced at Castulon Corporation, any mistake made by drug impaired employees in the design or production of a system could be catastrophic for users. For this reason, Castulon Corporation should us a random drug testing program for its employees. There is no absolute "model" substance abuse program that is right for all companies. The program should be tailored to the needs and circumstances of the individual company. There are, however, five standard components of a comprehensive workplace substance abuse program. The five components include a written policy statement, supervisor training, employee education and awareness, employee assistance for providing help, and the actual drug testing. In Castulon’s program, employees are subjected to a standard five panel test for “street drugs”, which include marijuana, cocaine, PCP, opiates and amphetamines from a urine sample. A breath test for alcohol can also be administered. Employees who do not comply with a drug test request for testing, provide false information or tamper with the test results in any way will face disciplinary action. There are types of testing other than random testing. They include reasonable suspicion testing, post-accident testing and return-to-duty testing. In the case of a confirmed positive test result, the employee will be removed...
Words: 707 - Pages: 3
...mandatory drug testing of high school student athletes. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, drug testing is in need for more research due to the lack of evidence and success it produces (Christopher). In fact a national survey of high school students concludes that random drug testing does not reduce scholars’ substance use within school (Study Finds Random). High school athletes should not be drug tested because of the negative effects and alternative solutions. Most high school athletic drug testing contracts are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (Mary). In that case Dr. Sharon Levy of the AAP stated that every student that gets drug tested it is worth $24. Dr. Sharon Levy also estimates that there is about one positive test for every 125 students tested, and it costs approximately $3,000 for each positive (Christopher). With that in mind out of 3,311 drug tests, the University Interscholastic League, in Texas, conducted there were nine positives. In fact the progressive rate of positive drug tests has never risen above one percent (Mary). Also, following a year with the lack of financing, the Florida High School Athlete Association disconnected after the drug testing of “600 students for $100,000.” “Not to mention the championship event of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, when 500 student...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...seeking government assistance be required to take drug tests? INTRODUCTION On August 22, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, also known as the Welfare Reform Bill, into effect ending welfare as it had been known for many years. “This law transformed the traditional entitlement to cash welfare under Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) into a transitional program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), which requires most recipients to work after two years of receiving assistance, or, at state option, even earlier, with few exceptions. After 60 months of receipt during a lifetime, a recipient is ineligible for federally-funded cash benefits (NPC, 2004)”. (1) The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act shifted the responsibility of the poor to the states. The Act also made allowance for states to perform drug testing of those who were in need of federal assistance. According to an article in the New York Times “Policy makers in three dozen states this year proposed drug testing for people receiving benefits like welfare, unemployment assistance, job training, food stamps and public housing (Sulzberger, 2011) .” The controversy rising from the proposed drug testing has many debating the question: Should people seeking government assistance be required to take drug tests? PROs/CONs: There are several pros and cons to the new legislature to drug test those seeking government assistance. PROS: ...
Words: 1619 - Pages: 7
...also doing what they can to prevent any loss of business as a cause. One of the examples that this paper will talk about is the issue of drug testing. Drug testing is a sensitive issue as there are many different viewpoints regarding this issue. Drug testing also known as drug screening was used increasingly in the 1990’s to test for the presence of illegal narcotics in the blood or urine of the employees. An employee abusing illegal narcotics may be impaired and thus at a greater risk of injury or illness on the job (Kesselring & Pittman, 2002). A previous company I used to work for had many issues regarding drug testing and it sometimes came back to hurt them. Drug testing has become an issue of outstanding social concern across the country and has been used by many employers (Wall, 1992). This paper will explain the issue that drug testing causes as well as some of the ethical concerns raised by the situation. This paper will also explain the laws that effect drug testing as well as recommendations to reduce liability exposure and improve the ethical climate of the situation Description of Business that presents a legal and ethical issue Drug testing was a big concern of a company I used to work for in San Diego. Sterling Security was a company that was bought out in 2004 due to some rising issues within the organization. Drug testing had become an issue because there were many times where employees were involved in auto accidents and incidents with working with law enforcement...
Words: 2133 - Pages: 9
...Drug Testing: The Aid to Improving Our Welfare System By: Jennifer, Jacob, Kelsey, Mattie, and Devin Introduction Attention-getting remarks: Every single one of us in this class will one day have a job, and with that job we will be required to pay taxes. Have you ever thought about where the taxes we pay goes to and whether or not it’s going towards a helpful and productive cause? Thesis: Today we will break down the pros and cons of enforcing welfare recipients to be drug tested. Preview: Our group will inform you all about what welfare actually is, as well as reasons as to why some people believe it is a violation of their rights to be drug tested in order to receive welfare. More importantly, you will hear the opposing side of this issue, which is in favor of drug testing, along with reasons we believe it will benefit the welfare system. (First let’s get a better understanding of what welfare actually is.) Body I. Usually when one hears the word welfare, he thinks of public assistance. A. According to the welfare info website, welfare can also be characterized as a financial assistance to needy individuals, which is supplied through the taxes paid by the working society. (welfareinfo) 1. It also improves the quality of life and standards of living for the poor. II. Now that we all understand what welfare is, let’s look at the pros and cons of enforcing drug testing to receive this assistance. A. As said by Florida’s Governor Rick...
Words: 1308 - Pages: 6
...Brian Breslin Sports Finance 3/17/15 Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports In a world where everyone is looking for a way to gain an advantage on their competition, professional sports are no exception. In the past thirty years we have seen the rise and fall of the notorious steroid era surrounded by the pre-steroid era and its ongoing fallout. Each of our four main professional sports leagues, The NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB, have all had their own specific bouts with the same controversial issue; each of the four main sports leagues have all had to come up with their own interpretations, rulings, punishments, and general code of conduct when it comes to handling situations involving Performance Enhancing Drugs or PEDs. To further understand the issue of PEDs in domestic sports here in the US you need to take a step back and look at some of the larger scale events that effected what turned out to be the “steroid era”. Starting off in 1988 Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his Olympic Gold Medal for testing positive for an anabolic steroid. Less than two months after Ben Johnson had his medal taken away, President Ronald Regan signed an act outlawing non-medical steroids sales as a part of his war on drugs; less than two years later congress passed the Anabolic Steroids Control Act which placed steroids in the same legal class as other drugs such as amphetamines, opium, and morphine. Scandal brought legal action, legal action turned into more strict legal action...
Words: 2415 - Pages: 10
...ITT | Drug Testing Welfare Recipients | Why We Shouldn’t | | Michael Chiodo (11594970) | 8/30/2012 | Drug testing welfare recipients has been a major topic across the United States for a few years now. Many argue that if working class people are subject to a test prior to hire or randomly during the length of employment, why should those that don’t have to work for money not have the same treatment? Invasion of privacy is a huge disadvantage on the government’s part, yes it is free money but that doesn’t entitle anyone, even government, to control every aspect of your life or hold it constantly over a person’s head until they feel guilt or just flat decline assistance. Let’s ask ourselves just one question; if you went to the bank for a car loan, being this is a necessity for everyday living to own, how would you feel if they asked you to take a drug test prior to lending you the money? I feel many peoples’ tune would change drastically. Money, we all know this is essential in the world we live in. would you go to a restaurant knowing you had no money in your pocket or bank account? Of course not because you know after the meal follows the bill. Working class people are already indebted to the governments ridiculous fees they deduct from each of your paychecks, knowing damn well you will never see social security or and type of 401k. You are throwing your money into a pit that promises no return, would you like an additional fee tacked onto the end of your paystub...
Words: 1434 - Pages: 6
...Random Teen Drug Testing The Rodziwan family lived a block over from my family in Hempfield township PA. They had a son named Jeremy, he was a great kid, straight A’s, all-star football player, active in Eagle Scouts, and worked in the family business. A child any parent would be proud of. Until one Wednesday night he went out with some friends and over dosed on heroin, there was no reviving him. What no one knew was that he became addicted to heroin eight months ago; if only his parents would have suspected something they could have tried to help him. Unfortunately, there were no signs with Jeremy; he just seemed like such a great kid. The schools in our area have begun to randomly drug test students whose parents allow it starting in 6th grade. Many parents are in an uproar about this, “not my kid” they say. I think every parent should take advantage of this amazing opportunity that the school district is providing them. It’s time to wake up, open our eyes and realize that 33,000 teens die each year because of drug over dose. If your child’s school is offering at home random drug testing, take it, even if you think your child never would. I believe that there are great benefits to this and they outweigh anything that could be viewed as a downfall. The average age to try drugs for the first time is thirteen or 7th grade. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2009) almost two-thirds of all teens have tried drugs by this age. I think it is pretty much common...
Words: 1416 - Pages: 6
...Drug Testing in School Youa Vang DeVry University Drug Testing in School Drug use has continued to increase within the past years. “An estimated 22.5 million Americans from the age of 12 or older had used an illicit drug or abused a psychotherapeutic medication in 2011. That is 8.7 percent of the US population (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2012).” Most people start taking drugs in their early teenage years because they get pressured easily. With drugs being one of the biggest pressures, it can happen anywhere outside of home. One usually gets talked into trying drugs because he either was stressed out, he wants to fit in, or he wants to look cool. Drug use can have a huge impact on one’s behavior and academic performances. It will make it difficult for a student to get along with others and to concentrate, not only at school, but, also, at home. By using drugs, one can experience sudden memory loss. Students entering junior high and beyond should receive drug test regularly and randomly to prevent drug abuse, help students stay in school and benefit their life long decision-making. Drug testing in school is not about catching students who use drugs. Rather, it is to prevent students from using it and to seek help for those that need it. Mandatory drug testing would be a way to ensure students’ safety and help them stay in school. By requiring drug testing, students will have a reason to say no when being offered any. When a student uses drugs and comes...
Words: 2058 - Pages: 9
...Essay #1 Drug Testing in High, Pro or Con? There is a lot of controversy today on whether or not drug testing in high school is appropriate. There are many things to consider when making this decision, like constitutional rights and privacy, cost, and even if doing random drug tests will change the problem (drug problem). Los Angeles Times writer David G. Savage asks in the article “Justices Consider School Drug Tests,” “Could routine drug tests, like metal detectors, soon become an accepted part of daily life at many American high schools?” Drugs have become a major problem with children, but not all of them are experimenting with them. Many people believe that it is against the child’s 4th Amendment rights, which we all know protects people from unreasonable searches and seizure, that being said, unless the child is coming to school either “high” or “stoned,” has actual drugs on his person or has been known for drug use, doing a drug test is intrusive and a waste of time. Economic cost is another issue. According to M. H Davis in “Facts and Statistics on Random Drug Testing of High School Students” website www.everydaylife.globalpost.com, “The average drug test cost between $15 and $35, and at high schools administering tests to all students, the costs add up quickly.” So if there is a class of 1000 children, there is a bare minimum of $15,000. I’m sure the school systems have a lot more educations things that the school could benefit from rather than drug testing. Besides...
Words: 697 - Pages: 3
...Drug Testing In The Workplace Drug Testing in the workplace can seem impersonal and invasive towards employees but it is a process that is done when an employer has reasonable suspicion that employees are using drugs at work coming from a variety of sources such as tips, accidents or behavioral problems, actual observation of drug use, and symptoms of drug usage. Today businesses feel that they have to be well aware that their workplace is a drug free place and that their employees are stable and productive and in doing so, employers result to drug testing. Many feel that drug testing is a good tool to use to have an ideal workplace culture and that most would feel like they have nothing to hide so why object? But not everyone feels the same, others do feel that drug testing like said before, is a violation of privacy and has no sense to be done. Even though one can feel this way that doesn’t make that employee a drug user just that most actually feel that drug testing is degrading. Drug abuse in the work place can affect performance and safety on the job and how an organization see’s it is that drug testing will help eliminate those poor factors. A clear written policy that outlines the employer’s expectations concerning drug use will allow for drug testing in a drug free workplace environment program. The program does have to include training the management on the signs and symptoms that would allow them to perceive with drug testing on employees. Also programs teach...
Words: 2608 - Pages: 11
...There are many pros and cons regarding drug testing people before they are able to receive welfare benefits. Some people think it is a violation of their rights, the testing is not fail proof, and the cost is usually greater than the benefit. Those who are in favor of drug testing believe it will benefit the welfare system, help the tax payers save money and also help the children of the parents if they are using drugs. Government leaders and most of the general public look at it from a financial point of view while people who receive benefits look at it from a constitutional point of view. The government court system and judges are not backing the drug testing idea because of the fourth amendment. In my personal opinion I am for people being drug tested who receive benefits or any assistance from government funded programs. The middle class worker has to be drug tested to work, earn money and pay taxes. People who receive assistance should not be exempt from this type of requirement. What is Welfare? Welfare is a public assistance program designed to help people who are not able to support themselves fully. Welfare encompasses those government programs that provide benefits and economic assistance to no or low income individuals. It can also be defined as financial assistance to impoverished individuals which is supplied through the taxes paid by the working class. Improving the quality of life and living standards for the poor and underprivileged is one of the main goals of...
Words: 1886 - Pages: 8
...Should Drug Testing be Mandatory to Receive Welfare Benefits? BCOM/275 Should Drug Testing be Mandatory to Receive Welfare Benefits? Thanks to our ancestors, America is a country built from a foundation of hard work and perseverance. This pioneering spirit has paved the way for many opportunities, as well as rules to be set along the way. This includes mandating laws and acts starting with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. With these guidelines America humbly started as a nation where every citizen was entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These laws stressed the simplest of privileges which included freedom of religion, freedom of speech, protection against enemies, and restriction against monopolies (America's Freedom Documents, 1996-2011). These were all expressions of the American mindset long ago. Fast forward to current America and we find problems we must confront now that are more complicated. These problems have evolved through history that has now made our present day precedence in relation to laws and rules. We now have the freedom to vote, be active in our government, and have an opinion. Our opinions are shaped by the physical world around us and the controversy we have created as a people. However, The United States as an ideal presents a uniquely contradictory set of principles that is generally not openly discussed. This includes the tendency to accept government officials, network...
Words: 1856 - Pages: 8
