Drug testing of welfare applicants not leading to treatment

drug-test-formJACKSON, Miss. (AP) – No one in Mississippi who’s applied for welfare assistance through a federal program has undergone treatment since the state enacted a drug testing law two years ago.

State Department of Human Services spokesman Paul Nelson tells The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (http://bit.ly/2ePSofd ) that the agency hasn’t spent any money for drug treatment as a result of drug testing under the Temporary Aid For Needy Families program.

The program, which is administered by the state, provides temporary assistance for low-income people.

Nelson says that since the law was established in August 2014, 307 people applying for TANF benefits have been tested for drugs. Fifty-six have lost benefits because they didn’t pass a drug test or refused to undergo the testing.

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