Statistikhengst
Diamond Member
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Drug testing of welfare applicants yields few positives
So much for the RW meme that all welfare recepients are on drugs.
On the other side, the cost of the testing program is really not very expensive, so assuming $1,000 per month in welfare, with 37 less people, that means $37,000 saved, minus $9,500 for the drug testing = $27,500 saved. Statistically, the drug tests are worth doing.
Six months after the rollout of a controversial law to drug-test people applying for public benefits, only a small fraction of low-income Tennesseans seeking financial assistance have tested positive for illegal drugs.
Thirty-seven of 16,017 applicants for the Families First cash assistance program between July and December tested positive for illegal substances, according to the Department of Human Services.
Another 81 lost their chance to receive benefits because they discontinued the application process at some point between the time they were required to fill out a three-item drug screening questionnaire and completing their application....
...In the first six months of the program, the state spent $5,295 to administer the program, including $4,215 to pay for the drug tests.
So much for the RW meme that all welfare recepients are on drugs.
On the other side, the cost of the testing program is really not very expensive, so assuming $1,000 per month in welfare, with 37 less people, that means $37,000 saved, minus $9,500 for the drug testing = $27,500 saved. Statistically, the drug tests are worth doing.