Low-income Michigan residents might have to add drug testing to their budget. A house bill introduced earlier this month wants to have those receiving or applying for assistance through the state’s Family Independence Program tested for drugs, reports the Times Herald.

Under the bill, pregnant women and low-income families would have to pay for a drug test out of pocket. After testing negative for marijuana, cocaine, opiates and amphetamines, the families would be reimbursed for the test. If not, they’d lose assistance.

Lawmakers behind the bill reason that since any employee might be subject to a drug test, those seeking assistance from the state should be held to the same standards. This is even more important, they say, since the Family Independence Program is being redesigned to include job placement. Others think the proposed measure is too punitive, especially since it doesn’t include treatment for those who test positive for drug use.

What do you think? Should people seeking government assistance have to take a drug test? Is it right for them to be denied assistance if they fail?

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