Ohio Welfare Applicants May Face Drug Screening

(Fall 2015) A recent measure proposed at the Ohio State House of Representatives would mandate that welfare applicants submit to a drug screening. If the screening indicated drug use, the individual would be required to take a drug test. Those testing positive would not receive monetary assistance, but a third-party could receive cash on behalf of the individual’s children or dependents. This is important to note, as a majority of individuals receiving cash benefits in the Buckeye State are minors (94,240 children as opposed to 15,356 adults).

Those with positive tests would also be steered toward treatment. The legislation includes a yearly $100,000 budget earmark for treatment. The state would cover costs of all negative tests, but those testing positive would be responsible for about $35 in charges for a urine test.

Ohio’s American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) charges that the proposed law singles out individuals who receive entitlements. To back this argument, some cite Florida’s reversal of a similar mandate, when a district judge called the testing “unreasonable search.”

Thirteen states have already enacted some measures concerning drug testing or screening for those applying for or receiving public aid, and in 2015 alone at least another 18 states are pursuing similar legislation.

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