Tarren Bragdon, CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability, argues that Florida’s drug testing policy is an effective policy, can serve as a model for other states and could save hundreds of millions of dollars nationally…

While Judge Mary Scriven, a George W. Bush appointee, considers the constitutionality of Florida’s new drug testing policy, one thing is clear: the new drug testing requirement for welfare cash assistance is having a big impact and is fast becoming a model for other states.

On September 14, 2011, the Foundation for Government Accountability, a free-market think tank in Naples, Florida, released a report showing that in July 2011, the first month of the new law, almost one in ten individuals who would have otherwise been approved for welfare cash assistance were denied for a drug-related reason. Most of these denials were due to the fact that the individual never completed the required drug test — presumably because she thought that she would test positive for drug use, she did not have the money for the test or she chose not to take the test for another reason. Only those adults who are pre-screened as eligible are required to get tested at one of more than 350 sites around Florida. If the individual tests negative for drug use, the state will reimburse that person the approximate $30 cost of the test.

If trends from the first month hold, Florida taxpayers could save $9 million a year. The report estimated that similar results nationwide would save $173 million in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. The drug test requirement, which is specifically allowed under federal law, only applies to cash assistance, not food stamps or Medicaid. Florida policymakers wanted to ensure that cash aimed at helping needy families was not being used to subsidize illegal drug use.

Tarren Bragdon is the president and CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability. Nationally recognized for his expertise in health reform issues, his work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Prior to joining the Foundation for Government Accountability, Bragdon served as CEO of the Maine Heritage Policy Center and was the youngest person ever elected to the Maine House of Representatives at the age of 21.

Suggested citation: Tarren Bragdon, Florida Drug Testing Policy is Effective, JURIST – Hotline, Oct. 5, 2011, http://jurist.org/hotline/2011/10/tarren-bragdon-drug-testing.php.