Utah Drug-Tested Almost 5,000 People On Welfare, And The Results Almost Made Me Throw Something

~ Roger JG Albert

Utah Drug-Tested Almost 5,000 People On Welfare, And The Results Almost Made Me Throw Something.

I think that if the same test were run here we’d get the same results.  There are so many misconceptions out there about the poor…even amongst the poor.  There will always be exceptions to the rule, of course, but the evidence from this test is clear: the poor are like you and me, they just don’t have any money!  Of the almost 5,000 people tested in Utah, twelve, count them, 12, failed the drug test.  If you tested people randomly who walk out of some of the more expensive restaurants or bars in town, and you might just find much higher numbers of failed drug tests.

6 thoughts on “Utah Drug-Tested Almost 5,000 People On Welfare, And The Results Almost Made Me Throw Something”

  1. At $12 a pop for a basic dipstick screen, that’s $60K. At $432 for each family of 3, enough to pay the monthly grant for 140 households. You’re probably right–most of them can’t afford illegal drugs, and so do them sparingly if at all. I can’t even afford cigarettes anymore, and no longer smoke. Although I’m in luck–Ogden, Utah does have a public housing that accepts single men from the streets, which is rare among U.S. cities. Best wishes.

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    1. Thanks, Jesse
      That helps put it in even better perspective. Like I said, there’s always going to be exceptions. There’s no question that some low-income people smoke dope or do other drugs but I can’t accept singling them out for special attention. Poor people aren’t the only ones doing drugs and getting drunk. People with money do expensive drugs and drink scotch. They have the wherewithal to do drugs at the ‘club’ or in other places where they aren’t about to be detected.

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  2. The thing they are overlooking too, is that addiction is not that easy to get free of. Even if a person who require welfare try to quit smoking, often they have a tough time of it. Many of these people regard cigarettes or beer or pot as their one small pleasure in life (unhealthy as it may be). If we are willing, as a society, to support people with welfare payments, at least they may live long enough to eventually find a better lifestyle, get some training or schooling and finally get a job. Often these people are our young people or our very old people. A policy like the one in Utah, gives youth no chance to get over their youthful mistakes (becoming addicted to cigarettes, beer, or pot, or hard drugs). There needs to be programs where people can obtain support and help and we need to support them financially, until they get on their feet. There are a certain percentage of young people whose parents attitude is to “kick them out” of their homes, due to their addictions, rather than offering them support. It is not an easy situation, for sure.

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    1. I think you make some very valid points here, Marilyn. One of the main points of the article is how certain conservative politicians distrust the poor, thinking that they must all be on crack…or they wouldn’t be poor now wouldn’t they? Of course the results of the ‘study’ are clear. Very few people on welfare do the kind of regular, sustained dope smoking and drug using the politicians thought they were. They couldn’t afford it for one thing and too busy looking after kids for another thing.

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