As citizens of Virginia, you have the right to be safe from intrusive governmental searches without probable cause. While many people in Virginia Beach may think this only refers to police searches of a car, home or your personal belongings, it can also refer to your body. A bill that was recently passed through a House of Delegates committee is proposing what seems to be an unconstitutional invasion -- screening all welfare recipients for illegal drug use.

Although it is unclear if a positive reading will lead to criminal drug charges, it could certainly implicate many people with taking and using drugs. Unfortunately, if passed, this legislation could severely punish someone for testing positive for drug use.

It is unclear what, if any, procedures will be put into place to test for false positives or whether recipients will have the opportunity to contest results. The Roanoke Times does not mention what will be done with positive tests after a welfare recipients' benefits are taken away, but it is possible that police may gain access to records.

Some people in the Virginia House of Delegates are supporting the legislation despite a 2008 study of drug use by the World Health Organization. According to the study, it is much more likely that people with a higher income would use marijuana, alcohol, cocaine and tobacco than someone who is in the welfare program.

When asked what evidence there was that welfare recipients were using illegal drugs, a delegate said, "The evidence would be borne out by the testing."

Source: The Roanoke Times, "Virginia bill would test welfare recipients for drug use," Mike Sluss, Jan. 25, 2012