In Effect: North Carolina’s Work First Recipient Drug Testing

Vetoed by Gov. Pat McCory but overrode and originally enacted in 2013, a law requiring that any Work First welfare applicant would be subjected to drug testing was implemented. Although enforcing it lay dormant for about a year since, last August, the state began screening approximately 2% of its 7600 recipients.

Early results of the tests came back yesterday stating that of the several thousand screened, 89 actually took the test and 21 of those 89 failed. Those 21 represent less than 0.3.

Applicants and recipients of the short