[ja30278]

There seems to be a common bait-and-switch tactic performed by proponents of UBI, in which they mention UBI as a replacement for social programs when talking about affordability, but back away from that assertion when questioned about how to handle (for example) recipients that spend all of their UBI on drugs instead of food.

[deegles]

I see that as a societal symptom instead of a personal failure. I would rather a person spend their time playing videogames* instead of being stuck working dead-end jobs until the day they die.

*Drugs are a different issue, that should be treated as a health problem and dealt with accordingly.

[jpindar]

We handle them exactly as we do now... by doing nothing. Today's social programs don't give people more money just because they spent all that they were given yesterday.

It's universal INCOME, not universal "take care of all your problems for you".

[Guvante]

Isn't better psychological assistance the better solution to that problem?

Unless you are serving food directly you cannot prevent turning assistance into drugs because you can always just sell whatever you are given.