Statement on DOL Rule Allowing Drug Testing for Unemployment Benefits

New York, NY – Below is a statement from Grant Smith, Deputy Director of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, in response to a final rule by the Trump Administration to allow states to drug test applicants for unemployment benefits:

“Drug testing applicants in order to receive benefits they need to survive is deeply inhumane and stigmatizing, not to mention a complete waste of tax payer dollars. From what we have seen in places where state-run drug testing schemes were implemented for TANF benefits, the vast majority of people tested negative and the costs of testing and implementation far exceeded the cost of providing the benefits in the first place. Moreover, drug tests do not diagnose or treat and are prone to false positives.”