Drug Testing Welfare Recipients, Unconstitutional?

We all are aware of the social safety nets put in place to help "catch" and some would say, rehabilitate, people who have been severely impacted economically. Things such as food stamps and welfare that help many impoverished Americans put food on their table, and a roof over their family's heads. Recently there has been proposed legislation that would require recipients to submit to drug testing. It said only to be in the interest of making sure government, neigh taxpayer; money not go toward supporting illegal activities.

                                                           
                                                                      NHSDA Estimates

 One thing most supporters of this sort of legislation will fail to mention, is the fact that before a person receiving food stamps or welfare may take this drug test, they must provide the money for said drug test, and they will not receive any monetary assistance until it has been analyzed, and the results deemed clean by the state. It sounds kind of counter productive, making sometimes desperate people pay money to receive money. Proponents say that once the test is passed, the recipient will then be reimbursed his or her money. So if you're not on drugs, what's the risk? The risk has nothing to do with it. It's the fact that you're asking people who have proven to you; they have such a small amount of money that they actually qualify for you to give them money. You're asking them if you can essentially borrow the money for their drug test. The consequence for not passing the drug test should be the fact that you don't receive the assistance for the things you need to survive, not that you receive nothing and lose money as well.

                                                           Actual Florida Testing Results

                                           Florida Welfare Recipients On Drugs: 2%
                                           Floridians On Drugs: 8%


In my opinion, this is one of two things. Either a way to ensure that they pay out less in welfare checks, whether it be from failed tests, or the much more likely scenario of someone not being able to afford the test in the first place therefor no longer qualifying for the service. Or just another law put in place to further demonize the poor. This is a law that no matter the justifications, circumvents the American ideal of equality. This law further perpetuates the stereotype that just because one is poor, they must commit crimes and do drugs. Or that someone may have become poor due to the use of illicit substances. Either way it's a truly personal attack on a group of extremely vulnerable people. We need to make sure such stereotypes are never solidified into law.