Follow Up: Florida's Welfare Drug Testing

(CNN) – Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Sunday defended recent legislation that requires adults applying for welfare assistance to undergo drug screenings, saying the law provides "personal accountability."

"It's not right for taxpayer money to be paying for somebody's drug addiction," Scott told CNN's T.J. Holmes on Sunday. "On top of that, this is going to increase personal responsibility, personal accountability. We shouldn't be subsidizing people's addiction."

I get it.  I agree completely. It's not a perfect solution, but if a person is performing an act that makes them unemployable, then it should be discouraged.  Paying for someone else's needs, I'm all for that.  Helping someone while they are down, and supporting those who cannot take care of themselves, you betcha.  Funding a loser's pot or meth habit while hard workers have to make sacrifices and go without makes no sense.  If you are going to accept the assistance, you have to accept the terms.  I think it is completely reasonable to enforce this.  If someone doesn't want to comply, they have a choice.


However, this is a little simplistic.  If someone is going through treatment, we could give a little leeway as long as they show results.  That's how you know that drugs is really just a cash crop for the system.  There is little to no giving back to the public.  Drug money funds our schools and local governments, tax money is spent on commercials and billboards, but no money seems to go for direct treatment.  What little there is seems wasted and poorly planned.  Meanwhile, addicts are flourishing and we're picking up the bill.


Something's gotta give.  Make it so that if people want to quit, they absolutely can.  Then they have a choice to make, accountability and consequences for their decision.