Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and 11 other Republican governors have asked Congress to allow their states to drug test SNAP recipients. Their letter asserts that “Drug testing recipients of SNAP benefits… will aid in our ability to move individuals off of this welfare program and back into the workforce as productive members of their communities.” But research shows that drug testing welfare recipients is a solution in search of a problem. While the federal government has thus far vetoed state proposals to drug test SNAP recipients, states are allowed to drug test people who receive cash welfare benefits from the TANF program. Seven states do so, but, as of early 2015, the positive test rates in all but one were below 1%, and all of them were below the national drug use rate. Those states together spent nearly $1 million on the testing.
Source: Think Progress, 4/13/16, SNAP Drug Tests
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