Drug Testing Welfare

700 Words3 Pages
Mandatory Drug Testing and Treatment of Welfare Recipients Position Statement The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) does not support mandatory drug testing and treatment for people on welfare. Research has shown that drug testing has limited utility in confirming substance use problems and treatment needs. Such an approach would also serve to perpetuate the stigma associated with poverty and addiction and may lead to detrimental individual and social consequences. CAMH is also concerned about the ethical and legal implications of that infringement on the human rights of its patients and clients who are on welfare. Limitations of Drug Testing Drug testing has limited utility in determining an individual's need for treatment.…show more content…
Stigma Research shows that substance use is no more prevalent among people on welfare than it is among the working population, and is not a reliable indicator of an individual's ability to secure employment. 70% of people who use drugs are, in fact, employed. CAMH believes that the threat of removal of income support from individuals for whom social assistance is a last resort unfairly targets the disadvantaged. Research from the US indicates that denying benefits to those who fail to comply with treatment may result in increased poverty, crime, homelessness and higher health care and social costs. Such an approach would also further entrench the stigma which erroneously links drug addiction with economic need, and fail to address the complex but more relevant needs of those requiring assistance. CAMH recommends that people on welfare have access to those supports that more reliably predict who will be able to find and keep a job, including appropriate housing and childcare, social supports, and literacy and skills training. Ethics and
Open Document