Drug Driving

[wassily]

It appears Victoria will be trialling roadside testing for drivers under the influence of Marijuana, as of next year.

Anyone wanna buy my car?

Edited October 31, 2003 by wassily

[bongonaussie]

yeah..vaz wot next..?

 

my concerns with these kind of tests are how long does the mj stay in your system for. like if you had a big session the night before, would you still show up say 24 hrs after your last smoke.

 

and also can it build up in your system over many years of smoking meaning you would always test positive..

 

its a worry

[Tweet]

I think im going to cry if this ever makes it to N.S.W come on victoria screw the tests up so they get rid of them...and so they dont spread all over oz!!!

 

Driving high is one the best way to relax after a night of tokin.

[Luke Skywalker]

Driving under the influence of any drug is dangerous. Full stop.

 

I don't know how they'll manage it, as the active constituents are quite readily retained by the body... And what's the threshold levels for impairment? Far as I know it's not illegal to be wasted, still, I don't think anyone should drive stoned. That's just my opinion though, it probably won't stop you if you do... hey , it's your life, but it could be someone elses too...

[twentythree]

i was always against driving stoned before i actually did it.... but i would still never drive under the influence of alcohol or any other drug...

 

yes i also wonder how long the stuff will stay in your mouth, i asume the test is just a schwab as they cant be taking blood from us randomly yet can they?

 

if it comes to NSW i think i also will have to sell my car

[200sx]

as far as i know a positive on the swab test is in the vicinity of 4 hours after smoking, but that is an average obviously, as its basically dependant on how long traces of dope stick around in your saliva, could be more, could be less dependant on person, amount etc.

 

fkin bullshit

[99waystofuckyou]

What a pile of crap.I will admit I drive stoned all the time, sometimes particularly on long trips (more than 2 hours)I will start to feel tired quicker but on short ones I don't think there's any difference at all.

 

A test like this sounds entirely airy fairy, if it does only go by saliva, I can imagine it would be fairly easy to brush the inside of your mouth out and rinse with water to get to smoky spit out.

 

I also think if you drank a lot of sugary drinks you might get that sugary superspit which would throw the results off too.

[TUGBOAT]

ii asume the test is just a schwab as they cant be taking blood from us randomly yet can they?

I believe its a saliva swab

 

From MA:

The drug test requires drivers to provide a saliva sample. People who have used cannabis in the past three hours or amphetamines in the past eight hours are expected to fail.

 

A drug-affected driver faces a fine of up to $600 and a three-month licence cancellation.

 

Blood tests would pick up MJ use over a long period and it would be problematic for the cops to prove it is impairing your driving today as it would pick up a toke from days earlier.

 

Saying that I don't think it's real cluey to be driving stoned. Just not worth it. I don't want to see any of my mates or family killed because someone wanted to blaze up on a long journey. If your bored in the car put on some tunes or something; don't fire up a scoob. Just my opinion of course

 

Tugboat

[pipeman]

I used to get on my high horse about stoned drivers, but have changed my stance on this and drive stoned all the time.

 

For me, I become extra cautious and paranoid when driving stoned, and drive a bit slower than I normally do (within the speed limit ) I don't believe stoned drivers are any more a danger than your average driver, as long as they allow for the fact they are stoned and are extra careful.

 

That being said, I don't drive if I'm ripped off my tits, just a mild stone.

 

I personally think a roadside sobriety test is the better way to go. Stand up with eyes closed and touch nose, recite alphabet, walk the white line, a basic reflex test etc. Its the difference between detecting dangerous drivers and invading people's privacy as an excuse to bust them IMO.

[dirty]

this is a very subjective topic

i think most stoned drivers are extra cautious rather than reckless, but that is my experience, obviously statistics on this would be rare if any.

 

I agree that driving under the influence of any drug can be dangerous. Obviously anything that impares your judgement is hazardous. I think this will be a very hard test to regulate.

just say you bonged on 24 hrs prior to driving, but still pull a positive MJ reading, because the shit is clinging to some fat cells or whatever.

 

Do you then get charged for using an illegal substance?