People seeking welfare benefits in Utah must now take an online drug-screening survey, designed to determine if they are likely to have a substance use disorder. Those who receive a high score will be required to take a drug test. A person with a positive drug test will have to enroll in a drug treatment program and stay off drugs, or else their benefits will be cut off. The survey, created by the SASSI Institute, is 94% accurate. According to Utah State Representative and bill sponsor Brad Wilson, an estimated 5 to 10% of welfare recipients are drug-dependent. Michigan and Florida have already faced legal challenges when they mandated drug testing for welfare recipients. In both cases those laws were struck down as unconstitutional. Many other states have also been considering similar measures.
