Northern California County Voters on Track to Approve Drug Testing Welfare Recipients

A young woman undergoes treatment for heroin addiction in this file photo. Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

San Joaquin County voters are on track to approve ballot Measure R, which would require those who receive benefits from the county to submit to drug screening and potentially treatment. Seniors over the age of 65, as well as those with dependent children, would be exempted.

The ordinance, which has so far received 74.7 percent of the vote in the general election, as of Nov. 15, targets those suspected of using narcotics. If it passes, these individuals would be required to comply with drug screening to be eligible for benefits. If they test positive, they would be required to be evaluated professionally and potentially referred to treatment programs. The county would be able to deny payments in instances where recipients do not comply.

“This ordinance is intended to help address the overdose epidemic by requiring individuals who receive assistance through the General Assistance program, and who have been professionally evaluated and determined to need treatment, to participate in drug abuse treatment programs,” Measure R’s text reads.

While some individuals will be required to participate in treatment programs, “Measure R does not require recipients to maintain sobriety to be eligible for General Assistance benefits,” according to an analysis by the county counsel.

State law requires all counties in California to fund and administer programs that provide aid and support to extremely poor single adults.

In 2024, general assistance recipients in San Joaquin County receive no more than $75 per month issued via an EBT card or $367 per month for those who live in single-room low-cost housing, with $340 paid directly to the recipient’s landlord.

“Two to three people a week are dying of overdoses from Fentanyl and other deadly drugs in San Joaquin County,” wrote the San Joaquin Board of Supervisors in support of the initiative. “Offers of treatment without accountability are not enough. We must do more to get people into treatment and save lives.”

Like much of the nation, San Joaquin—a Northern California county with a population of around 800,000—is experiencing a fentanyl crisis, say officials, which has led to millions of dollars in federal funding sent to Central Valley law enforcement to stymie the problem.

Measure R would go into effect on Jan. 2, 2025.

San Francisco

The San Joaquin measure is similar to one passed by San Francisco voters earlier this year. Proposition F, approved by more than 58 percent of voters on March 5, requires single adults under the age 65 with no dependents and who receive benefits from San Francisco’s County Adult Assistance Program, to take a drug test if they are suspected to be suffering from substance abuse disorder.

“Addiction is complicated and there are no easy paths, but fentanyl is so deadly that we need more tools to get people into treatment,” Mayor London Breed posted on March 6 on X.

Payments in the Bay Area city average $712 per month for housed recipients and about $109 monthly for the homeless, according to the text of Proposition F.

Participating in treatment programs is mandatory, but, like San Joaquin’s proposal, stopping the use of drugs is not.

“Although reasonable participation in treatment programs will be required, sobriety of participants will not be,” Prop F reads. “Perfection isn’t the goal; improved health and life outcomes is.”

Critics say that without more intervention, drug users are unlikely to change their habits.

“This is a smokescreen,” Tony Hall, former San Francisco supervisor, told EpochTV’s “California Insider” opinion channel. “This is a step in the right direction ... but it doesn’t do anything.”

The San Francisco measure takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025.