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DRUG TESTING FOR WELFARE RECIPIENTS IS A FAILED CONCEPT

Holland - In response to William Hapner's letter in Friday's Sentinel calling for drug tests for people applying for welfare: Florida is not the first state to enact a drug testing requirement for welfare recipients.  Michigan enacted such a law many years ago, as did a handful of other states.  These laws are not enforced because they were consistently found to be unconstitutional.

In addition to being unconstitutional, these laws have proven counter-productive.  Florida already tried this before, and found that the law cost the state far more money than it saved, and that's just in direct costs.  Factor in the indirect costs associated with increased crime and burden-shifting and these laws are a fiscal disaster

Research would have also shown Mr.  Hapner that when Florida tried this before, it found that only 2.6 percent of welfare recipients were abusing drugs.  Given that an estimated 9 percent of the general population abuse drugs, Mr.  Hapner's statement that "I-95 and I-75 will be jammed for the next month or so with druggies and deadbeats" is as ridiculous as it is offensive.

I completely understand the sentiment of taxpayers who don't want their hard-earned money being used to fund the evils of society.  And where laws such as this are rooted in a desire to battle the disease of addiction, and to ensure that government funds are not being used to further self-destructive behaviors, good things can and do happen.  But any law that is founded on emotion will inevitably do more harm than good.

Timothy D.  Barrett

Holland