If parents are selling welfare for drugs, that doesn’t leave the children anything. The Robert Johnson Foundation reported, “In 2007 approximately twenty percent of welfare recipients reported have used an illicit drug at least once in a past year, and at least five percent admitted that they have a substance addiction” (Vitter 2). Children can be affected physically and emotionally by their parent’s substance abuse. Parental substance abuse can cause home environments to become chaotic. These negative impacts can lead to child maltreatment. Therefore, the children’s physical and emotional needs will be the last thing that their parents consider. More than likely the parent is going to support his or her habit before the children’s need. By knowing if the parents are substance abusers, the government can place the children in a safer environment until the parents are better. Director of National Affair of the Drug Policy Alliance, Bill Piper, he believes, “That drug testing recipients on welfare would be “too expensive” and risky for kids whose parents won’t return to Department of Human Service office for extending funding due to fear of a drug test” (Welfare Programs Should..1). Parents should want what is best for their kid(s). Removing children from an unhealthy environment is not to hurt …show more content…
The purpose of welfare is to help those in need or to supplement income, while the recipient is working on bettering their situation, not to lean on it for life or to or to indulge in other activities other than the basic needs. Testing would ensure that assistance will truly help those in need, according to David Vitter (Vitter1). People can agree that government programs should not encourage lifelong dependency, but should provide limited safety for people to return to a normal life (Vitter2). There are many people on welfare who do not need it. Majority of these people can work but beat the system to use benefits on other things (Welfare Programs Should.1). Taxes paid by citizens should not go to people who use drugs. Welfare is supposed to go to those most in need, like children who lack basic resources rather than drug abusers (Welfare Drug Testing1). Millions of Americans receive some form of welfare that helps with living and eating. It is the government responsibility to make sure taxpayers money goes to the right