Only 2.6% of welfare applicants test positive

~ Jason Schwartz

Master Sgt. Urbano Sosa demonstrates the job o...

Not surprisingly, drug testing of welfare recipients does not confirm the assumptions of supporters:

Of the 4,086 applicants who scheduled drug tests while the law was enforced, 108 people, or 2.6 percent, failed, most often testing positive for marijuana. About 40 people scheduled tests but canceled them, according to the Department of Children and Families, which oversees Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, known as the TANF program.

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Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.

One thought on “Only 2.6% of welfare applicants test positive”

  1. Good to see some sense in this issue – there are way too many people who yammer on about “welfare queens” being on drugs and getting public money. It’s just not true, and it’s a myth that’s hurting entire communities. And even in the cases where welfare recipients are on drugs – how is denying them food money going to help them in any way? Addicts need treatment, not stigmatization.

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