Florida's nascent drug testing program for welfare recipients has been in effect for just over a month, and already it is representing a significant cost to the state.

The law requires that those applying for welfare take a drug test at their own personal expense. The payoff is simple: if the test is clean, the welfare application advances and the state reimburses the applicant for the test. If the applicant tests positive for drug use, they don't qualify for aid and they are not reimbursed.

The exact number of tests taken and their result is still being tabulated by the Department of Children and Families, but Tampa Bay Online reported that at least 1,000 tests had been taken for welfare applications between mid-July and mid-August.