BAD NEWS: Congress Could Force More Unemployed to Get a Drug Test

Congress to force more unemployed to get a drug test

The Senate sent President Donald Trump a measure on Tuesday that will likely force more unemployed Americans to get a drug tests before they can claim jobless benefits. If approved the new resolution puts an end to a regulation that limited the amount of amount of unemployment-benefit applicants states could test for drugs. This is a departure from Barack Obama’s approach to only test applicants if they were looking for work in jobs that require regular drug screenings. However GOP members think that this gives the federal government too much oversight on an issue that should have been decided at the state level.

“As we saw too often, the Obama administration went beyond its legal authority in creating legislation that limits the role of state governments,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) said.

Democrats are against drug test increases

Democrats feel that the new law vilifies jobless Americans and plays into the often-false stereotype that unemployed people are more likely to use drugs. Yesterday, congressional Republicans continued their attack on the poor by forcing drug testing as a prerequisite for receiving unemployment benefits said Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) “As a former recipient of such services, I am appalled by the Republican Party’s discriminatory policies and deeply-sown disdain against those battling poverty,” he continues.

“If you’re looking for work, you’re guilty of drug use until being proven innocent,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said.

The legislation has now been passed to the Trump office for final approval. The White House has said Trump will sign the measure into law as a cancellation of “unnecessary regulations.” When? Officials have yet to identify a deadline.

Drug testing welfare recipients went nowhere

We know that drug testing welfare recipients was nothing but a waste of money. According to state data gathered by ThinkProgress, the seven states with existing programs—Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah—are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to weed out just a few drug users via the use of a mandated drug test. After spending nearly $1 Million on drug tests for people on welfare in seven states results revealed that the rate of positive drug tests to total welfare applicants ranges from 0.002 percent to 8.3 percent, but all except one have a rate below 1 percent. Meanwhile, they’ve collectively spent nearly a million dollars on the effort. What’s worse? In the coming years they want to spend millions more on drug testing?

It’s possible that this deregulation may create room for them to proceed with more aggressive drug testing policies forcing many unemployed to get a drug test. So if you smoke pot and are seeking to collect unemployment benefits you better learn how to pass a drug test or your benefits could go up in smoke.

How do you feel about the possibility of states being allow to more-aggressively drug test unemployment benefit-seekers? Do you think it’s fair that Congress could force the unemployed to get a drug test. Will you stop smoking weed or use something like synthetic urine or a marijuana detox drink to help pass your drug test if you’re unemployed? Let us know in the comments section below?