Florida Law: Pass drug test to qualify for welfare

[Aimless]

People may already have kids before they claim welfare, but have no more kids while on it. Doesn't solve the issue with kids.

Wow you're being so unimaginative here. There are so many ways. Mandatory contraception. Abstinence contracts. No money if you get another pregnancy. Regular pregnancy tests.

When a person is involved in a major car crash it's reasonable to suspect that they may have been under the influence of eg. alcohol. That's why I asked what portion of welfare recipients in the US were on drugs. I hear about a third of fatal car crashes in the US involved at least one drunk driver. Are we talking similar numbers for welfare recipients on drugs?

[RandBlade]

Wow you're being so unimaginative here. There are so many ways. Mandatory contraception. Abstinence contracts. No money if you get another pregnancy. Regular pregnancy tests.

When a person is involved in a major car crash it's reasonable to suspect that they may have been under the influence of eg. alcohol. That's why I asked what portion of welfare recipients in the US were on drugs. I hear about a third of fatal car crashes in the US involved at least one drunk driver. Are we talking similar numbers for welfare recipients on drugs?

Those who commit fatal car crashes are not seeking to be given a regular stipend of money from the state.

Those on welfare shouldn't be able to afford illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco without either abusing children or the taxpayer etc

[Aimless]

Those who commit fatal car crashes are not seeking to be given a regular stipend of money from the state.

So we're back to stopping them from having kids. I'd also like to check their grocery lists and pizza expenses.

[GGT]

Those who commit fatal car crashes are not seeking to be given a regular stipend of money from the state.

Those on welfare shouldn't be able to afford illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco without either abusing children or the taxpayer etc

It's not a regular stipend, Rand. It's $300/month MAX with a 48 month LIFETIME cap. It's basically a Food Assistance program, not the kind of "welfare" in the UK you may be thinking of. The screening would also pick up things like prescription drugs for chronic pain.

Besides, I thought it was pretty much confirmed that The War on Drugs has been an utter failure. Waste of a trillion dollars, overflowing prisons for possession of weed....

[RandBlade]

It's not a regular stipend, Rand. It's $300/month MAX with a 48 month LIFETIME cap. It's basically a Food Assistance program, not the kind of "welfare" in the UK you may be thinking of. The screening would also pick up things like prescription drugs for chronic pain.

Besides, I thought it was pretty much confirmed that The War on Drugs has been an utter failure. Waste of a trillion dollars, overflowing prisons for possession of weed....

Oh I agree we should legalise most drugs, I also think that tobacco and alcohol should be legal too. Doesn't mean I should be buying them for people who can't be bothered to work.

For each hour I get paid to work, I pay £3.48 in direct taxation. For all expenditure on legal items I make, I have to pay 20% in sales tax. I very rarely buy alcohol now as its expensive and in order to make my personal budget work, I have higher priorities. I could not imagine being able to afford a crack addict or adding tobacco to my shopping bills.

So why should I be buying illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco for people who are not working ?

I - and I think almost every right-winger here even Lewkowski - agree with some forms of socialism. I'm happy to pay for schooling, for other necessities and yes for a safety net. We can debate about paying for universal healthcare - but you don't have that in America. What I refuse to countenance is that I should be buying illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco for people out of work. Why do you think your nation's taxpayers should be buying some of their unemployed illegal drugs, but not legal ones through healthcare? Its aburd.

[Ominous Gamer]

Besides, I thought it was pretty much confirmed that The War on Drugs has been an utter failure. Waste of a trillion dollars, overflowing prisons for possession of weed....

The global war on drugs has "failed" according to a new report by a group of politicians and former world leaders.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy report calls for the legalisation of some drugs and an end to the criminalisation of drug users.

The panel includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the former leaders of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, and the entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.

The US and Mexican governments have rejected the findings as misguided.