Drug Testing Government Assistance Programs

Posted: October 17th, 2013

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Drug Testing Government Assistance Programs

            Government assistance programs are programs developed exclusively for small minority groups in the United States. These programs were set up to ensure that these families could acquire the basic needs as much as they may not have the ability to do so. Selfish and lazy citizens who pretended to be part of the minority groups swindled the government during the early stages of this program. From this experience, the government put in place some regulations in order to distinguish the people who needed the assistance from the opportunists. One such notable parameter is that all the people seeking government assistance should undergo a mandatory drug test.

Such assistance programs provide citizens with job opportunities and financial aid for instance. The said programs include unemployment, federal student grants, food stamps and section 8 housing. The federal student grants are another example of government assistance programs. This enables needy students to pursue their education and, therefore, satisfies their right to education (DeJong, 38). For the homeless, the government can initiate housing schemes that are affordable like the section 8 housing project. The use of food stamps has also enabled such people to acquire food from places like hospitals and community centers.

The need for all the people to have a drug test is a critical prerequisite for those that are seeking government support. The first reason why it is a fundamental necessity is that the government ensures the well- being of its citizens. Drug use is associated with many health related effects. Drugs also affect the behavioral mechanisms of the person since they affect the brain (Earleywine, 230). By ensuring that they take the tests, the government ensures that the citizens are not at risk of contracting these diseases. This relieves the healthcare industry of pressure caused by an increase in the patients.

This pressure is because of an increase in the number of patients especially those with drug related diseases. This causes the hospital to be strained because their resources are not enough to cater for the needs of the patient. By the implementation of this law, the number of drug users is significantly reduced, and the unnecessary pressure is avoided. This law is, therefore, an advantageous law to both citizens and the government. Since the drugs cost so much in the States, it is expected that the people buying them have a considerable amount of money to enable the constant purchase of the drugs. Therefore, if the person in question can afford this, it is probable that they can cater for their needs.

By the administration ensuring that there is a drug test, it can tell the people who genuinely require the assistance that the government is offering. This will avoid the prevalent cases of swindling that affect the government. This will ensure that only people who deserve this assistance will acquire it. The mandatory drug tests are not a breach of privacy because the person’s results are not declared publicly, and in case that they are positive, the person is not arrested. The people who are in need of this help will have nothing to hide, and they will accept whatever regulations pertain to the assistance program provided they are reasonable. The people against this law on this basis do not have a sufficient reason to cause this law to be abolished.

Another reason why this law is imperative is to ensure that the taxes paid by the citizens go to an acceptable use. An extensive amount of the taxpayers’ money is used for the running of these programs. By setting up of the law on drug testing, the government ensures that the money is not wasted on drug addicts. Instead, it should use this money to help such people out of their addiction by setting up rehabilitation centers for instance. This is because, by their continued drug use, they do nothing to improve the economic situation of the country, instead the keep supporting illegal business ventures. These assistance programs also help in the development of the country since the citizens in that country will have the most basic amenities and their standards of living will improve.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the country also increases; it is a figure used as an indicator of the standards of living of a certain country (Angelini, 59). The initiation of mandatory drug tests for all people seeking government assistance is an excellent law. This is because it has many advantages that benefit both the country and the person in question. These advantages include the safeguarding of the health of the individuals, ensuring that the taxes are put to beneficial use and that only the genuine cases are assisted. By the implementation of this law, the government will also save a lot of money that it spent on to fraudulent cases in which the people pretended to belong to the minority groups.

Works Cited

Angelini, Elena. Short-term Forecasts of Euro Area GDP Growth. Frankfurt: Europe. Central Bank, 2008. Print.

DeJong, William. Experiences in Effective Prevention: The U.S. Department of Education’s Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on College Campuses Grants. Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, 2007. Print.

Earleywine, Mitchell. Mind-altering Drugs: The Science of Subjective Experience. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.