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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsEconomyStarted 11yrs agoActive 2yrs ago

Should welfare recipients be tested for drugs?

5 U.S. states have passed laws requiring welfare recipients to be tested for drugs. Proponents argue that testing will prevent public funds from being used to subsidize drugs habits and help get treatment for those that are addicted to drugs. Opponents argue that it is a waste of money since the tests will cost more money than they save.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 283k New York voters.

74%
Yes
25%
No
66%
Yes
19%
No
4%
Yes, but provide treatment for those testing positive
4%
No, only if they have a criminal history related to drug abuse
3%
Yes, test anyone receiving money from the government including employees and politicians
2%
No, this is a waste of time and money
1%
Yes, and immediately terminate benefits for anyone testing positive

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 283k New York voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 283k New York voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from New York voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @8HB7BYY from Florida  answered…6yrs6Y

Yes, and immediately remove benefits from any who test positive, BUT also provide them treatment.

 @8FRTVZ5 from Texas  answered…6yrs6Y

No, and drugs should be legalized.

 @B23R6DC from California  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, but provide incentives for treatment, collaborate with non-profit and private organizations to fund treatment centers, provide more funding for treatment and prevention programs, and provide policy review to amend as necessary.

 @9L4Z23B  from Pennsylvania  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, and if tests are failed, all benefits must be paused until they successfully graduate a drug court program

 @5FPBRNMfrom Pennsylvania  answered…6yrs6Y

They should get help. Addiction is a brain condition and they need treatment as much as anyone.

 @8RWLDZJ from Tennessee  answered…5yrs5Y

No and end all welfare.

 @BBRDTVP from South Carolina  answered…3mos3MO

People should not be disqualified for drug use, but reasonable penalties or conditions can be placed on people found using welfare for illegal activity.

 @B52PGH2 from Florida  answered…1yr1Y

Yes, require routine basic screenings. Must test negative or, if testing positive, comply with treatment to get clean

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Israeli Bombings Kill 2,300 In Lebanon in 3 weeks

Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.The Israeli military has ordered people living in more than a quarter of Lebanon to flee, according to a UN calculation, as its fight with the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hizbollah threatens to engulf the Mediterranean country.Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.More than 1mn people have fled their homes in Lebanon in under a month, according to its government, a dramatic forced movement of the population in a country of only about 5mn inhabitants with a land mass smaller than the US state of Connecticut. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in south Lebanon two weeks ago, in their fourth invasion of the country in under five decades. They had already destroyed large parts of the densely populated southern Beirut suburb where Hizbollah had its headquarters, and killed many top militant commanders in air strikes, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.Rema Jamous Imseis, Middle East director of UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva that “over 25 per cent of [Lebanon is] under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”. “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she added, saying that 80 per cent of the shelters opened by the Lebanese government — mostly in schools — were now full.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

A Moment of Darkness': Washington Post's No-Endorsement Decision Ignites Media Firestorm

Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck and neck, The Washington Post has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years, the publisher and CEO announced Friday."We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates," Will Lewis wrote in an opinion piece published on the paper's website. He referenced the paper's policy in the decades prior to 1976, when, following the Watergate scandal that the Post broke, it endorsed Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. The last time the Post did not endorse a presidential candidate in the general election was 1988, according to a search of its archives.Colleagues learned the news from the editorial page editor, David Shipley, at a tense meeting shortly before Lewis' announcement. The meeting was characterized by someone with direct knowledge of discussions on condition of anonymity to speak about internal matters.Shipley said that he told other editorial board leaders Thursday by management that there would be no endorsement, though he has known for weeks. He added that he "owns" this decision. The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.Colleagues were said to be "shocked" and uniformly negative. Post corporate spokespeople have not responded to multiple messages left by NPR on the subject.Former Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron, who led the newsroom to acclaim during Trump's presidency, denounced the decision starkly."This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty," Baron said in a statement to NPR. "Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."A similar decision by Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong led this week to the resignations of the paper's editorials editor and two editorial board members. Soon-Shiong said that he had asked the editorial board to draft a "factual analysis" of Trump and Harris' policies and plans. In her resignation letter, editorials editor Mariel Garza said the decision made the paper look “craven and hypocritical,” given its past reporting and editorials on Trump.

▲  1013 replies

About This Data

Based on 283k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should welfare recipients be tested for drugs?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 17, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/poll/1405748003

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