Known failure; Drug testing the poor

Mic - On July 1, 2014, Tennessee implemented a dehumanizing new drug testing program for needy people applying to the state's Families First cash assistance program..

Now, WBIR reports that in the first six months of the program's operation, the state Department of Human Services managed to flag just 37 drug users out of 16,017 applicants.
That's a rate of 0.23%.

Even generously counting an additional 81 applicants who ditched the benefits application process between taking Tennessee's drug-screening questionnaire and turning in their paperwork, a maximum of 0.73% of applicants were prevented from claiming benefits.

Tennessee's embarrassing failure to find nearly any drug users on welfare shouldn't come as a surprise. Similar programs have failed in Utah and Florida, while studies have consistently shown that people receiving cash assistance from the government use drugs at commensurate or lower rates than the general population.