O/T New Florida Law, should it be applied in the UK?

[TundraWolf]

A friend sent me this news item, could/should this be applied in the UK and elsewhere in the Western world?



"Highway I-95 and I-75 will be jammed for the next month or so with druggies and deadbeats heading North out of Florida, because this is the first state in the union to require drug testing to receive welfare...

Hooray for Florida. In signing the new law, Republican Gov. Rick Scott said, "If Floridians want welfare, they better make sure they are drug-free."

Applicants must pay for the drug test, but are reimbursed if they test drug-free. Applicants who test positive for illicit substances, won't be eligible for the funds for a year, or until they undergo treatment. Those who fail a second time will be banned from receiving funds for three years!

Naturally, a few people are crying this is unconstitutional. How is this unconstitutional? It's a legal requirement that every person applying for a job has to pass drug tests in order to get the job, why not

[Robus]

[quote="TundraWolf"[/quote]

There's no such legal requirement in Florida or anywhere that I know of. Since he's governor of the state you'd think he might speak accurately about the statute he is referring to: - view external link

[MichiganWolf]

I am fine with requiring drug testing as long as it excludes marijuana and the adult has no children. Mary Jane will be completely legal here within the next 20 years and it is relatively cheap. And no reason to doom children further because their parents are irresponsible. Being "tough on drugs" does very little to discourage its use.

[Robus]

[quote="MichiganWolf" does very little to discourage its use.[/quote]

I think pot is largely what they are testing for. Not because there's any compelling reason to focus on it, but just because it's easier to detect than most other drugs. If your only tool is a hammer...

I'm against mandatory testing with few exceptions. I'd go further and restrict the ability of private employers to test their employees, on the grounds that the chemical composition of my body fluids is not the business of my boss. It ain't the business of the state either.

[MichiganWolf]

I think pot is largely what they are testing for. Not because there's any compelling reason to focus on it, but just because it's easier to detect than most other drugs. If your only tool is a hammer...

I'm against mandatory testing with few exceptions. I'd go further and restrict the ability of private employers to test their employees, on the grounds that the chemical composition of my body fluids is not the business of my boss. It ain't the business of the state either.

Also something to keep in mind, it would disproportionally affect Af

[TundraWolf]

I assume the main purpose is to make sure that government funding for those most in need is not being used for the purchase of illegal substances. Since the money the government is dispensing through welfare payments comes ultimately from Florida's citizens it is a means of protecting those citizens.

[MichiganWolf]

I assume the main purpose is to make sure that government funding for those most in need is not being used for the purchase of illegal substances. Since the money the government is dispensing through welfare payments comes ultimately from Florida's citizens it is a means of protecting those citizens.

If they truly want to protect citizens, they should be going after the corporate greed, failing banks, and fixing healthcare and public education. That would save the citizens' a lot more money, or put their money to better use than going after people who may or may not be misusing welfare money. Besides, most of the financial benefits for welfare are breaks on housing, food stamps etc rather than cash in the hands of the person. And pot is easily growable in your own home at next to no cost. And testing positive is not a sign that you are not pursuing employment or using your welfare checks effectively.

[Robus]

Welfare recipients are an unpopular group, hence easy to single out. American tend to assume that people on public assistance are lazy, shiftless, dissolute, irresponsible, give birth to kids they can't support because they lack self-control and foresight, and generally are camped out on Easy Street at our expense.

It doesn't take much to convince us that they are probably high too...

So proposals like mandatory drug testing for "welfare queens" are easy to sell.

Problem is, it's the proverbial foot in the door. The more we impose testing on certain groups, the easier it become to impose it on others. We have gone too far down that road already. Why not recipients of guaranteed student loans? Why not applicants for drivers' licenses? Why not all Americans?

There are forces in this country that would go there, gladly, because the War on Drugs is both big business and big ideology. It's also one of the greatest public policy mistakes we have ever made in the history of this co

[TundraWolf]

Two queries here, Robus, to add to your well argued points above...

1) The abuse of the poor and marginalized people's rights in society is fairly easy as I assume that the majority do not vote in state elections!?

2) Why not simply legalize pot/marijuana and tax the hell out of it, the result would be less money spent on police surveillance, fewer criminals in jail, and greater revenue for government coffers(i.e. the same as for liquor)!?

[Robus]

They don't vote. Nor do they donate to political campaigns, for obvious reasons. Even if they did, their influence would be dwarfed by the vested interests that benefit from this policy. To take the current example, some private drug testing company or companies are going to be awarded multi-million dollar contracts to conduct these tests. You can bet their lobbyists have worked the halls of the Florida legislature.

We spend hundreds of millions on the War on Drugs. Whenever the state spends that kind of money, it creates powerful vested interests that benefit from the policy and will mobilize to ensure the policy continues and the money keeps flowing. This is why we continue with the War on Drugs when any rational assessment would see it as a costly failure.

So far Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska have passed laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. The District of Columbia passed a ballot initiative to create a similar law. However, one of the oddities of o