Is it Ethical for States to Require Drug Testing to Qualify for Public Assistance?

Ethical Analysis
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Is it ethical for States to require drug testing to qualify for Public Assistance?
Drug and substance abuse have for a long time formed discussions for public assistance and policy discussions. State administrators and decision makers for governmental assistance programs including; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program have expressed concern concerning the moral decadence of their beneficiaries. The federal government, as a result, offered restrictions to these grants to person’s convicted of drug-related crimes to restore the morality of the citizens. The move aims at ensuring that taxpayers’ money does not fund illegal activities.
To enforce the war against drug abuse, the Anti- Drug Abuse Act of 1988 passed. The act requires that individuals with more than three drug-related convictions permanently ineligible for government benefits. Also passed was the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 which rules states test temporary assistance for needy families’ beneficiaries for hard drug use as well as sanction those who test positive. With that, it is possible that fewer people would stop using drugs as they would as well use the money they spend on drugs to cater for their living. Still, a positive drug test is a crucial step in getting a drug user help. With this first line intervention, the person can seek medical attention and counseling. Drug testing is believed to prevent the use of illicit drugs since those in the poverty class mostly spend money on drugs to alleviate the symptoms of poverty. Necessitating drug testing before welfare will defiantly stop people from getting the drugs at all. Nevertheless, most modern day service delivery systems require that people undergo a drug test. Drug testing is, therefore, a regular part of life for a majority of the country’s population. Including welfare recipients in the drug testing program shouldn’t be exceptional.The act, however, allows the state to modify the period over which the penalties last.
Drug testing, however, is itself an expensive process. Experts estimate the cost is catching one drug user to be anywhere between twenty and seventy thousand dollars. It would be as well economical to forego the process altogether.
The plan to perform the drug test has also been promoted by the increasing demand for government support, tough economic times as well as deficits in state budgets.
The national treasury in the United States government provides a budgetary allocation to run all the humanitarian programs in the country. The government is, therefore, the source of all the funds given to beneficiaries of the government assistance programs. Having held such a crucial role makes it a stakeholder in the prog...