THIS IS PRETTY FUCKED UP

US Law prohibits a person who has committed a felony drug crime from receiving food stamps or benefits from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. A State may opt out of this harsh measure only by enacting legislation that directly mentions this prohibition.  I guess this is the part of the "war on drugs" that is also taking place against hungry people.  Here's the relevant parts of the law:

P.L. 104–193, Approved August 22, 1996 (110 Stat. 2105)

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996

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SEC. 115. [21 U.S.C. 862a]  DENIAL OF ASSISTANCE AND BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN DRUG-RELATED CONVICTIONS.

(a)  In General.—An individual convicted (under Federal or State law) of any offense which is classified as a felony by the law of the jurisdiction involved and which has as an element the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance (as defined in section 102(6) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(6)))^[236] shall not be eligible for—

(1)  assistance under any State program funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act, or

(2)  benefits under the food stamp program^[237] (as defined in section 3(l)^[238] of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008^[239]) or any State program carried out under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.