Indopedia All Things Marijuana
Drug testing people on welfare, as proposed in this year’s federal budget, is a blunt way of tackling problems drug users face when looking for work.
The underlying concept of increasing employability for people with substance use disorders has some merit. However, any drug testing needs to be better targetted, may be open to legal challenges, and needs to have checks and balances built in to ensure fairness and transparency if welfare payments are quarantined.
The federal government has proposed a two-year trial of random drug testing of 5,000 Newstart and Youth Allowance recipients for illicit drugs, as part of wider welfare reforms. Those testing positive for drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamines (including ice) would have their welfare payments quarantined, limiting cash…
