JACKSON — No one in Mississippi who’s applied for welfare assistance through a federal program has undergone treatment since the state enacted a drug testing law two years ago.
State Department of Human Services spokesman Paul Nelson tells The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that the agency hasn’t spent any money for drug treatment as a result of drug testing under the Temporary Aid For Needy Families program.
The program, which is administered by the state, provides temporary assistance for low-income people.
Nelson says that since the law was established in August 2014, 307 people applying for TANF benefits have been tested for drugs. Fifty-six have lost benefits because they didn’t pass a drug test or refused to undergo the testing.
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