Governor Rick Scott Wants To Charge Poor People $35 For Drug Tests In Order To Get Welfare

Florida Gov. Rick Scott; who recently revoked a rule mandating restoration of voting rights to felons completing their sentences, is at it again.

BlackAmericaWeb’s Tonyaa Weathersbee reported that Governor Scott’s latest proposed initiative is to collect $35 from poor folks applying for welfare. This $35 fee would cover drug testing, and passing the test would determine their eligibility for assistance. In addition, he’d like for state employees to be tested for illegal drugs up to four times a year.

These initiatives don’t come at the helm of overwhelming drug use from either group.

There is however, an overwhelming surge in Florida’s prescription drug supply. Apparently doctors are running what are called “pill mills,” walk-in store fronts where “patients” are prescribed large amounts of pain killers. So much so, that law enforcement and legislature were inclined to initiate a monitoring database.

Check out these statistics from the Governor’s own website:

• 98 of the top 100 doctors dispensing oxycodone nationally are in Florida – concentrated in the Miami, Tampa, and Orlando regions.

• 126 million pills of oxycodone are dispensed through Florida pharmacies – most in or near Tampa, Orlando, and Miami regions.

• By far, more oxycodone is dispensed in the state of Florida than in the remaining states combined.

In the same press release dated 3/28/11, Scott announces a statewide response to the issue; offering up $800,000 in grant funds toward the mission of creating “an immediate impact to the criminal distribution and abuse of drugs in Florida.”

We’re not sure if this changes Scott’s initial opposition to the prescription drug monitoring database, and attempt to repeal on grounds that it is a government invasion of the privacy of citizens. What we are sure of is, by that same logic his initiatives seem equally as intrusive.

Is Scott unfairly targeting certain groups and letting others slide?