BillCosby

His idea? Welfare drug tests
Teen with disease linked to mom's drug use while she was on assistance proposes new law.
By Aurelio Rojas - arojas@sacbee.com

Last Updated 6:13 am PST Friday, February 22, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A4

The idea – subject all Californians who collect welfare payments to random drug testing – was the brainchild of a 16-year-old with cerebral palsy.

R.J. Feild arrived in the Capitol on Thursday after beating out more than 200 students in a "There Ought To Be a Law" contest sponsored by Assemblyman John Benoit, R-Palm Desert.

The Riverside County high school student, whose neurological disorder has been linked to his mother's drug use when she was pregnant and on welfare, handed his proposed law to a clerk in the Assembly chamber while accompanied by Benoit.

The inspiration for Assembly Bill 2389, Feild said, was a trip to Disneyland that was aborted because his foster father, Larry Feild, had to take a drug test for a new job.

"I (asked him), 'Why don't people who get welfare have to get drug tested?' " he recalled at a news conference in Benoit's office, adding that his foster mother suggested he enter the lawmaker's contest.

Over the next five days, the teenager worked on his 500- word essay, which recounted how he weighed only 2 pounds at birth and had traces of heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, alcohol and cocaine in his body.

Afflicted with spastic triplegic cerebral palsy, Feild has impaired vision and needs a wheelchair to get around. His entry called for implementing his law to spare others the same afflictions.

"We did a final draft and submitted it," said Feild, who dictated his ideas to his foster mom, Marybeth Feild.

R.J.'s Law would mandate random drug testing for all people who collect welfare payments in California. Those who fail tests would be required to complete a one-year drug treatment program, or be removed from the state's welfare rolls.

Currently, the state assists more than 450,000 families through CalWORKS, a welfare-to-work program. The average monthly check is about $520.

Benoit, who spent three decades as a law enforcement officer and is now running for state Senate, said the goal of AB 2389 is to "break the cycle of addiction" to drug and welfare dependency. "We think there's potential there to save millions of dollars – even though there would be costs associated with the program," he said.

Benoit acknowledged the proposal faces several steep political hurdles. Besides a projected $16 billion state deficit, he said, "There are people who believe that we should not require any kind of test before we give out state assistance."

The 1996 Welfare Reform Act authorized states to impose mandatory drug testing as a prerequisite to receiving welfare assistance. In 2000, Michigan became the first state to start random drug testing. But after the ACLU sued on behalf of welfare recipients, a federal court invalidated the law on grounds it violated the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable search and seizure.

Other states have considered similar laws, but welfare experts have questioned the efficacy of random drug testing.

Frank Mecca, executive director of the County Welfare Directors Association, said that in California, counties have the authority to require CalWORKS applicants to undergo testing if there's "a suspicion" of abuse.

"We would have to look closely at this bill to see if it would have a greater effect than our current system," Mecca said.

Benoit expects there "will be a lot of discussion about how we can find a middle ground." But he noted Feild "can't run and play" like other children because "his mother chose to use drugs."

"I think R.J. makes such a compelling argument that it will be difficult to say, 'no' (to him)," Benoit said.

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

PursuitOfHappinessParty

"make a law" contest with high school students? Is this not completely insane?

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BillCosby

???Why is that????

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

W.M.DEEEZ

Across the country, states are finding ways to stop people from smoking pot, by making drug testing a prerequisite to hiring.

After, random testing assures that workers will not use pot.


I specify pot, because that is the only drug that these tests will find.

Of course, if someone is using alcohol, or cocaine on the way to work, they will get caught too, if a test is given. A person that used pot 3 weeks ago, but hasn't since, will test positive.


So, unless you're an idiot, avoiding detection is rather easy, unless your drug of choice is pot.


If it is legal to test people in the workplace, why not those on assistance? If you're disabled, and on SSI, or Compensation, I feel that this is a program you paid into, and are now reaping some return.



Welfare is doled out to those in a different fashion. If they can afford pot, then perhaps they don't need as much assistance? With the rate of assistance fraud in my area, I've grown disgusted. I often wondered if they should be allowed to smoke cigs., or own pets.

I guess this is a slippery slope, and a topic that isn't easily discussed.

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Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got til it's gone

DanS.

Fucking 16 year olds with cerebral palsy because their mom did drugs...who do they think they are coming up with their own solutions to problems that have affected their life greatly...what do they think this is some democratic society where freedom of speech runs rampant.

BillCosby

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

BillCosby

Are you sure about the testing?? Only pot???

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

W.M.DEEEZ

Pot stays in urine 30 days. If you know when the test is, you can take steps to "fool" the test.

Coke, alcohol, you could probably use the night before, and be fine during the day.

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Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got til it's gone

BillCosby

My daughter recently had to take a hair test.. THe cut a good size clump & test it for drugs...... I knew pot would be one but that they tested for lots of things.......... They say up to six months they can detect it in the hair.........

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

W.M.DEEEZ

Now the hair, is a totally different story. They can pretty much tell you what day you did the drugs with hair tests.

Most testing is done with urine. When the county, and state go to sampling hair, a lot of my buddies are gonna be bummin!


Who's testing your daughter's hair?

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Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got til it's gone