ACLU Sues to Stop Florida Welfare Drug Tests

A new Florida law that requires welfare recipients to pass a drug test violates their constitutional rights, the American Civil Liberties Union is charging in a lawsuit.

The suit asserts that the mandatory drug testing is a violation of the right against unreasonable search and seizure.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the drug testing requirement into law in May, fulfilling one of his campaign promises.

Under Scott’s drug testing law, welfare applicants are required to pay for their own drug testing – about $30 to $35 – but are reimbursed if the tests are returned negative.

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The Florida governor had previously made drug tests mandatory for state employees, a decision he suspended when the ACLU sued him under similar grounds.

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