Results For Welfare Drug Tests In North Carolina North Carolina has been in the middle of a heated debate over its welfare system. After Republican Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed a bill to test welfare recipients for drug abuse, the state legislature overruled his veto. The measure went into effect shortly thereafter. At the beginning of this month, North Carolina released the results from their first round of drug testing. The results indicated that 7,600 people applied for the Work First program. 89 of those people were tested, and 21 were found to have illegal drugs in their system. The state and national average for drug use currently sits about 8 percent. North Carolina found that non-welfare recipients are 26 times more likely to abuse illegal drugs. Applicants were asked about their drug use, and if social workers suspected use, they were drug tested. Additionally, if the applicant was convicted of a drug offense in the last three years, they were automatically tested. Any applicant who tested positive for illegal drugs was disqualified for benefits. What do you think? Do you support the program? 