Driver Drug Tests-Your PERSONAL experiences?

[silent-toker]

hi all,

just heard from a workmate that he got done by a roadside drug test yesterday (melbourne)

he described driving through a standard breath test which he passed and then being "randomly" chosen from the line of 20 or so cars to do the drug test.

he was given a 2 pronged fork to rub over his tongue which indicated methamphetamines and THC

the cops took him into their caravan where he had to hold what sounded like a small vial under his tongue to collect a saliva sample?

no charges yet, supposedly has to wait 8 weeks for test results

will direct him to your site Jess, for some info and inspiration

 

some points to note are that he used approx 1/3 gram of speed on friday night, consumed between 8pm and 1am

he smoked as per normal over the weekend with his last toke being sunday morning 8:30am- he tested positive at 2pm sunday afternoon

the test was conducted by the senior officer who was watching the cars as they were being breathalysed and then selecting people to drug test-my friend instinctively felt chosen because of his appearance

the process took over an hour and the 4 policeman operating the booze bus stopped breathalysing drivers to process my friend

 

that last bit pissed me off -what a waste of resources! not just 4 cops to do 1 job, but 4 cops who should have been breath testing the multitudes driving by! wankers

 

take care on the roads everyone

s-t

[Jess Stone]

I found this bunch of "interesting" driver drug test stuff with Yahoo's new Oz search engine ALPHA-Yahoo its pretty good I got this stuff and a bunch of other relevant stuff DTS appeared on page 3 for a search for "saliva drug test for drivers australia" ,I was happy with that result with a new search engine.

 

CANNABIS AND DRIVING: A REVIEW OF CURRENT EVIDENCE its a PDF ,please note pages 3 and 4 ,infact its quite good EXCEPT after recognizing that saliva tests for MJ don't show impairment,have many false+ and false neg. results,current research indicates little impairment etc therefor develop better tests not give them away,unless I have misinterpreted this it would seem they get the picture yet they support testing Typical

 

This article called Honk if you’re high from the INFAMOUS Swinburn U (I think) in Vic,the quoted ones to justify drug tests(vested interest group funded eg Vic.Police) HOWEVER its from the Journalism School and presents a reasonable attempt at a balanced view.

 

This Blog has an interesting vested interest expose`

Friday, December 17, 2004

Victorian roadside drug tests inaccurate

 

Random saliva testing of motorists on Victorian roadsides began on 13 December 2004, drawing condemnation from civil rights groups. Four motorists have so far been issued citations for positive drug tests though the fourth recipient is proposing to fight the charges.

 

Police are looking primarily for cannabis and methamphetamine use. However, there are major problems with the roadside tests.

 

Acute cannabis intoxication lasts about 3-6 hours post ingestion, after which point any effect has worn off. Cannabis' unusual pharmacological function means that while it is possible that a saliva test could potentially detect past cannabis use from within roughly 30 days prior to the test, it can not make the distinction between historical cannabis use and present, acute intoxication.

 

Saliva tests for methamphetamine are worthless if the person tested has taken cold & flu relief preparations containing pseudoephedrine or are using prescription stimulants like Ritalin; the metabolites for these drugs are all identical. If a person claims to have used cold tablets, an accusation of methamphetamine use cannot stand. Amphetamines and related compounds are excreted from the body in 24 hours past ingestion.

 

With current technology, it is simply not possible for police to build a case that a driver is acutely intoxicated with methamphetamine or cannabis from saliva testing. Should the police obtain blood or urine samples as a result of a positive saliva test, these samples become legally classed as 'fruit of the poison tree' and as such inadmissible as evidence.

 

This is a case of the Vic government wanting to look tough on drugs and having been sold a bill of goods by some junk scientists. Victoria will learn their lessons in the courts when the drug driving charges are thrown out and their use is suspended. Most unfortunatele, this miscue will make it doubly hard to get accurate tests in the hands of police should such ever be developed.

As a victim of a near fatal collision with a drink driver, I am all for sober drivers, but police can't run about throwing people in jail using junk science.

 

Most curious about this particular news item is a person by the name of Michael White, who is identified in this ABC News story as the chief executive of "Drug-Safe Australia." which ABC identifies as "...a drug support group which advises Vic Roads."

 

A little searching reveals "Drug-Safe Australia" is in fact not a 'drug support group' at all, but is actually Frontline Diagnostics, a seller of drug testing equipment including mobile drug testing labs and education programs for employers. From their website:

 

Drug-Safe Australia Pty Ltd trading as

Frontline Diagnostics

The Penthouse

Level 5, 22 Atchison Street

Crows Nest NSW Australia 2065

EVEN curiouser is that White is quoted in the ABC news item as saying that the drug testing systems that have been employed by VicRoads are ineffective and have been deployed prematurely:

 

Chief executive of Drug Safe Australia, Michael White, says saliva testing is not an accurate way of detecting drugs.

 

Mr White says Victoria Police has been forced to implement the system despite warnings of its failings.

 

"It was given a deadline about six or 12 months ago that it would come on at December 1, start on December 13, no matter what type of test was still available," he said.

 

"We've been bellowing that crikey, don't try and get the tag that you're number one in the world if you're going to put a defective system out there."

 

Whose products are VicRoads using in the roadside tests- White's or possibly a competitor's?

 

Why is VicRoads taking advice on drug policy from a bloke who sells drug testing equipment?

-weez

 

Edited April 5, 2007 by Jess Stone

[Jess Stone]

I was just watching 10 Late news 13/04/07 and would you believe a story from Adelaide comes on,I am remembering what details I can as I cannot find it on the net yet.

A Hospital in Adelaide surveyed 2000 road accident victims(not sure if killed or injured) by blood analysis and 1/4 had alcohol,14% had cannabis(yawn BS) and 17% had diazapam(valium) in their blood,hospital doctors called for expansion of driver drug tests to include legally prescribed depressants eg valium,codeine,morphine,methadone etc. Hahaha

I will keep a watch out and post more on this story as it comes online.

[Jess Stone]

I'm sure Ive posted this before but if I haven't ,well there you go

 

More than 250 over the counter or prescription drugs can cause you to test positive on a drug test.

 

* Pain relievers such as Advil, Nuprin, Motrin

* Menstrual cramp medications like Midol and Trendar

* Ibuprofen is known to cause positive samples for Marijuana

* Anti inflammatories such as Naproxyn

* Dristan Nasal Spray, Neosynephren, Vicks Nasal Spray, Sudafed

* Over the counter appetite suppressants which contain propanolamine

* Common nasal decongestants can cause a positive reading for Amphetamines

* Medications containing chloropromazine and fluspirilene may yield a positive when tested for amphetamines

* Vicks Formula 44M containing Dextromethorphan, and Primatene-M containing perylamine as well as the pain reliever Demerol, and prescription anti-depressant Elavil test positive for opiates up to three days

* Quinine water can also cause a positive reading for opiates.

* Poppy Seeds such as the ones on a bagel from your favorite deli, represent a potentially serious source of falsely positive results in testing opiate abuse.

* Nyquil Nighttime Cold Medicine will test positive for Methadone up to two days.

* Amoxicillin has caused positives for cocaine

* Diazepam tests positive for PCP

* A small fraction of the population excrete large amounts of endogenons lysozyme or malate dehydrogenase in their urine which can produce a positive drug test.

* Africans and certain Orientals might test positive for marijuana due to the pigment melanin in their skin which shows up in a dark person's urine sample.

* Second hand marijuana or cocaine that you might inhale may give your test a positive result for several days.

 

Hair and urine testing is highly susceptable to false positive drug testing - to the point that some experts call such testing "junk science". People with dark skin are particularily susceptable to false drug testing results when exposure to second hand marijuana or cocaine smoke is absorbed into their hair.

[Harlsmanson]

BUMP

 

Awesome info Jess.

[littlbit]

Found this while I was trying to find who manufactures the kits for Melbourne, very interesting.

 

Report on testing kits

Point-of-Care Tests (POCT)

 

National Australian Drug & Alcohol Testing Register

Oral fluid-based on-site tests are not a new phenomenon, but have been "around the corner" for 20 years: Australasian Centre for Policing Research. However, numerous scientific evaluation studies have found that oral fluid-based on-site testing kits and devices have problems with detecting marijuana or cannabis (THC), which accounts for over 50% of all positive drug tests in Australia. Other drug classes can be detected with some accuracy.

 

Consequently, due to inadequate performance characteristics, no oral fluid-based on-site testing kit or device, testing for all major drug classes, has ever been FDA approved or DOT approved or CLIA waived. In contrast, dozens of urine testing kits have achieved FDA status for their accuracy and reliability.

 

There are over a dozen oral fluid-based on-site tests on offer in Australia: Drug Testing Register. Three of them shall be commented upon (the first two known to be used in roadside drug testing in Australia):

 

And I found the one being used here in Melbourne, Harrington Group, Sun Biomedical oral fluid illicit drug screen, OraLine.

 

There is also heaps on the internet regarding how to not get detected, be careful as most of these things appear to be really dangerous. I hope this helps.

[ConsciousPilot]

I heard an interview on ABC radio from a cop claiming that they have been drug testing drivers as part of operation RAID and getting positives for people who have only had a joint three days before. These people have been banned from the road for 24 hours and sent to court, even though they are obviously not driving impaired. Even the interviewer was shocked. Now this could just be disinformation from the copper designed to scare us but it got me wondering.

 

I'm wondering what opinions are like about this mouth wash product. Should I get one to keep in the car? Has anyone had any experience with it?

[oz360]

What a great topic and what great responses! Last week while driving home my mate and I pulled over for a pit stop and 2 cones each. Less than 5 minutes back into our drive we were pulled over doing 59 in a 40 school zone, DOH! The driver got breathalysed with 0% alcohol but got a ticket for speeding, and notified that his license had been suspended 8 months earlier for unpaid fines, so got a ticket for that too. Lucky me was ordered to drive the rest of the way home by the police man. Stoned and happy I was! I wonder how they didn't smell the residue left floating in the car.... Maybe the driver behind us, who got a lift home IN the police car was more important, poor bugger, drunk as a skunk at 3pm

 

If I was asked to participate in Random Drug Testing via saliva swab I would REFUSE as my DNA is mine and I believe it our Human Right to protect our own DNA. Breach of Human Rights can be punishable by an International Court with a Maximum Penalty of Death.

[freddie]

If I was asked to participate in Random Drug Testing via saliva swab I would REFUSE as my DNA is mine and I believe it our Human Right to protect our own DNA. Breach of Human Rights can be punishable by an International Court with a Maximum Penalty of Death.

Good luck trying that. You'll need it. Cops take a dim view of someone trying that on.

[littlbit]

You are right oz and if they try it on after that you simply invoke your rights under the Geneva Convention, this bloody war must end and soon, we can't even purchase hemp hurd to make our hempcrete and build our house, the idiots in power must think we could smoke the stuff or get continuous highs from living in a house built from hemp.

 

freddie, if we don't stand up and do something then nothing will change, we all know these laws are illegal they breach every human rights document we are signatories to, our governments are in breach of the single treaty on narcotics and therefore braking federal law in the ongoing war on drugs, and of course there is the little matter or our constitution. If we are to obey laws then we should insure that our governments also obey the law.

 

You go for it oz regardless of what others here think, I am over the cowardly attitudes of some who will grow to sell or use for whatever reason but are never prepared to stand up for the fight regardless of how right it is.