A Speech on “Should Welfare Recipients Be Required to Pass a Drug Test?”

Welfare is a kind of support provided by the government to ensure that certain members in society are able to meet basic human needs like food and shelter. The people who receive such needs are generally known as welfare recipients. Certain things that a general welfare recipient can gain are support during old age, support for child-care, self-maintenance, medical care, parental care and sick leave, support for disabled and unemployed, and also support for those who met with any kinds of occupational injuries.

In most cases, these kinds of support is provided only for a limited period until the family is settled or worked enough to improve their current status. Some welfare options also provide free or sponsored benefits like education, health-care and public housing for those in desperate need. 

Providing such benefits to anyone who uses drugs often or is addicted to drugs are meaningless. They might always misuse these benefits and push themselves more into the traps of drug use. Drug use has been a major issue in the United States. The number of youngsters mostly from middle-class families is more prone to such use, and their families are few who always get these kinds of benefits. We should make them aware that the usage is harmful and these benefits are not to be misused.

The government could provide such users with tools that would encourage them to leave these habits and get clean could be beneficial for their family and state. So yes, welfare recipients are required to pass a drug test. 

Supporting such illegal behaviors like drug use will cost a lot for the state; both current and future funds. Most of the states won’t take up the steps to initialize this drug testing because conducting a test for everyone who receives a welfare benefit is quite expensive; and these welfare benefits are done from the taxpayers money. Yet, it’s essential in times of need, which can be situational or temporary. Nowadays, the welfare recipients are asked three questions, of which even one is answered ‘yes’, then they have to undergo a drug test.

If the test results turn positive, then they will be cut off from all the welfare benefits for a year. The more they keep repeating the lesser they will lose. In my opinion, they should not be allowed to gain benefits if their family gets any. Why do the family have to suffer for their unacceptable deed? 

Instead, family members and children of these addicts should be taken care of separately; where none of these benefits are to be provided to these drug users, along with that they should be sent out for de-addiction programs or put into social service activities to change themselves for good and for society. Though these kinds of treatments or activities take several months to get a spot open in a government treatment facility. In the end, all what the country and families need is a drug-free, healthy set of population. 

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