Drug Test The Jobless

They are at it again.  A Republican congressman has proposed drug testing people who apply for unemployment insurance. The bill by Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) would require unemployment claimants to pass a drug test if they are identified in an initial screening as having a high probability of drug use. This is all despite evidence that the unemployed have no higher incidence of drug use than the American average and I would speculate a lot less than the average congress person. 

To quote Jack "Mr Clean" Kingston:

Kingston spokesman Chris Crawford declined to provide any information supporting Kingston's anecdote.

Earlier this year, Florida started requiring all welfare applicants to prove they weren't on drugs -- until a federal judge put a stop to the policy on constitutional grounds. And it turned out only 2.5 percent of welfare applicants failed the test, a far lower rate of illicit drug use than the national average of 8.7 percent.

Earlier this year, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) used an identical anecdote to promote drug testing the jobless. When HuffPost checked the claim, however, it turned out to be completely false -- the employer said it tested only new hires, not applicants. And among new hires, less than 1 percent flunked a drug test. Haley later admitted her claim was bogus.

Read the whole sad story about propsed legislation at HuffingtonPost

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