U.S. Plans Breathalyzer-Like Drug Test for Drivers

[klah]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=1769637

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roadside drug tests modeled after breathalyzers are nearly ready for use in the United States, helping police identify drivers impaired by illegal substances, officials said on Tuesday.

National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters said the cheap, on-the-spot tests would hasten the arrest of those driving under the influence of illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine, as well as alcohol...

...Critics of America's so-called "war on drugs" said the new tests could spur an abuse of power by authorities aiming to crack down on recreational drug users.

"The way I understand it, if you have any evidence of the drug in your system you are presumed to be the equivalent of a drunk driver," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington.

"We're not talking about a three or four hour window. A urine or blood test could show marijuana if you smoked a joint 10 days ago."

While he backed the campaign against impaired driving, Nadelmann said roadside drug tests would require lawmakers to agree on a minimum intoxication level, below which individuals would be free to go.



So what should the legal limit be for marijuana intoxication? 0 or the level of impairment?

 

[justint]

Originally posted by: klah
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=1769637

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roadside drug tests modeled after breathalyzers are nearly ready for use in the United States, helping police identify drivers impaired by illegal substances, officials said on Tuesday.

National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters said the cheap, on-the-spot tests would hasten the arrest of those driving under the influence of illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine, as well as alcohol...

...Critics of America's so-called "war on drugs" said the new tests could spur an abuse of power by authorities aiming to crack down on recreational drug users.

"The way I understand it, if you have any evidence of the drug in your system you are presumed to be the equivalent of a drunk driver," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington.

"We're not talking about a three or four hour window. A urine or blood test could show marijuana if you smoked a joint 10 days ago."

While he backed the campaign against impaired driving, Nadelmann said roadside drug tests would require lawmakers to agree on a minimum intoxication level, below which individuals would be free to go.



So what should the legal limit be for marijuana intoxication? 0 or the level of impairment?

Do you really want someone who has smoked any marijuana or any other illegal substance driving a motor vehicle. I think it is a minimum level of courtesy to other drivers and the community as a whole for people who consume alchohol or use illegal drugs to freaking not drive afterwards.

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: justint

Originally posted by: klah
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=1769637

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roadside drug tests modeled after breathalyzers are nearly ready for use in the United States, helping police identify drivers impaired by illegal substances, officials said on Tuesday.

National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters said the cheap, on-the-spot tests would hasten the arrest of those driving under the influence of illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine, as well as alcohol...

...Critics of America's so-called "war on drugs" said the new tests could spur an abuse of power by authorities aiming to crack down on recreational drug users.

"The way I understand it, if you have any evidence of the drug in your system you are presumed to be the equivalent of a drunk driver," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington.

"We're not talking about a three or four hour window. A urine or blood test could show marijuana if you smoked a joint 10 days ago."

While he backed the campaign against impaired driving, Nadelmann said roadside drug tests would require lawmakers to agree on a minimum intoxication level, below which individuals would be free to go.



So what should the legal limit be for marijuana intoxication? 0 or the level of impairment?

Do you really want someone who has smoked any marijuana or any other illegal substance driving a motor vehicle. I think it is a minimum level of courtesy to other drivers and the community as a whole for people who consume alchohol or use illegal drugs to freaking not drive afterwards.

but marijuana stays in your system well after the active ingredients have left

 

[HappyPuppy]

Sounds like a good thing to me. If you want to drink or use illicit drugs then don't drive. I don't need impaired assholes on the same highway I'm on.

What level? 0. No if's, and's or but's. Stay off the road.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: justint

Originally posted by: klah
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=1769637

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roadside drug tests modeled after breathalyzers are nearly ready for use in the United States, helping police identify drivers impaired by illegal substances, officials said on Tuesday.

National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters said the cheap, on-the-spot tests would hasten the arrest of those driving under the influence of illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine, as well as alcohol...

...Critics of America's so-called "war on drugs" said the new tests could spur an abuse of power by authorities aiming to crack down on recreational drug users.

"The way I understand it, if you have any evidence of the drug in your system you are presumed to be the equivalent of a drunk driver," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington.

"We're not talking about a three or four hour window. A urine or blood test could show marijuana if you smoked a joint 10 days ago."

While he backed the campaign against impaired driving, Nadelmann said roadside drug tests would require lawmakers to agree on a minimum intoxication level, below which individuals would be free to go.



So what should the legal limit be for marijuana intoxication? 0 or the level of impairment?

Do you really want someone who has smoked any marijuana or any other illegal substance driving a motor vehicle. I think it is a minimum level of courtesy to other drivers and the community as a whole for people who consume alchohol or use illegal drugs to freaking not drive afterwards.

that's not the point, the point is how will the test distinguish if you lit up 10 minutes ago or 10 days ago

 

[HappyPuppy]

Originally posted by: tweakmm

Originally posted by: justint

Originally posted by: klah
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=1769637

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roadside drug tests modeled after breathalyzers are nearly ready for use in the United States, helping police identify drivers impaired by illegal substances, officials said on Tuesday.

National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters said the cheap, on-the-spot tests would hasten the arrest of those driving under the influence of illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine, as well as alcohol...

...Critics of America's so-called "war on drugs" said the new tests could spur an abuse of power by authorities aiming to crack down on recreational drug users.

"The way I understand it, if you have any evidence of the drug in your system you are presumed to be the equivalent of a drunk driver," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington.

"We're not talking about a three or four hour window. A urine or blood test could show marijuana if you smoked a joint 10 days ago."

While he backed the campaign against impaired driving, Nadelmann said roadside drug tests would require lawmakers to agree on a minimum intoxication level, below which individuals would be free to go.



So what should the legal limit be for marijuana intoxication? 0 or the level of impairment?

Do you really want someone who has smoked any marijuana or any other illegal substance driving a motor vehicle. I think it is a minimum level of courtesy to other drivers and the community as a whole for people who consume alchohol or use illegal drugs to freaking not drive afterwards.

but marijuana stays in your system well after the active ingredients have left

The solution is simple. Don't do it.

 

[klah]

Originally posted by: justint

Do you really want someone who has smoked any marijuana or any other illegal substance driving a motor vehicle. I think it is a minimum level of courtesy to other drivers and the community as a whole for people who consume alchohol or use illegal drugs to freaking not drive afterwards.

The point is how long afterwards? No driving for a week after a glass of wine?

 

[N8Magic]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

What level? 0. No if's, and's or but's. Stay off the road.

Then there should also be a zero tolerance policy for alcohol as well.

Agree?

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

The solution is simple. Don't do it.

 

[RambleOn]

I don't see how people get busted for driving under the influence of cocaine. It's such a short acting drug, it wears off in about 30 mins at most. Unless you're actually snorting while driving, I don't see how you can get busted.

 

[klah]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
The solution is simple. Don't do it.

So if I take a vacation to Cancun and legally get high I can not drive for 10 days when I return to the US??

 

[HappyPuppy]

Originally posted by: N8Magic

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

What level? 0. No if's, and's or but's. Stay off the road.

Then there should also be a zero tolerance policy for alcohol as well.

Agree?

Absolutely!

Don't drink and drive.

Don't smoke a doobie and drive.

Don't snort coke and drive.

Ad Infinitum.

Don't do it. You have no right to endanger other people.

 

[N8Magic]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy


Absolutely!

Don't drink and drive.

Don't smoke a doobie and drive.

Don't snort coke and drive.

Ad Infinitum.

Don't do it. You have no right to endanger other people.

OK, I just wanted to make sure you were being consistent.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Originally posted by: klah

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
The solution is simple. Don't do it.

So if I take a vacation to Cancun and legally get high I can not drive for 10 days when I return to the US??

I don't care if you take a vacation to Cancun and pound a couple of kilos up your ass. When you come back here and get behind the wheel don't have it in your system.

 

[Colt45]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

Originally posted by: klah

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
The solution is simple. Don't do it.

So if I take a vacation to Cancun and legally get high I can not drive for 10 days when I return to the US??

I don't care if you take a vacation to Cancun and pound a couple of kilos up your ass. When you come back here and get behind the wheel don't have it in your system.

But the metabolites they test for stay in your system _long_ after the intoxication is gone.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

Originally posted by: N8Magic

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

What level? 0. No if's, and's or but's. Stay off the road.

Then there should also be a zero tolerance policy for alcohol as well.

Agree?

Absolutely!

Don't drink and drive.

Don't smoke a doobie and drive.

Don't snort coke and drive.

Ad Infinitum.

Don't do it. You have no right to endanger other people.

WHEN THE EFFECTS WEAR OFF YOU'RE NOT ENDANGERING ANYBODY

we should have a roadside asian test then, if you're any part aisan you should' be arrested for DWA, driving while asian, cuz we all know asians can't drive


(i'm asian, so har)

 

[tm37]

IS this test going to be given at random?

The article doesn't say BUT In california the Drunk driving test were administered AFTER-

1. You were driving in a way that the patrolman though was Erratic OR fit the profile for drunk driving

AND

2. You failed a feild sobreity test.

I have zero problem as long as theese two critria are met BEFORE the test is administered.

You have to have probable cause.

 

[justint]

You are confusing a test of impairment and a test for the presence of drugs with a scientific measurement of impariment based on baseline standards.

Well the article isn't clear on what the test will actually measure and how it will measure impariment. Currently arrests and prosecutions for DUI/DWI in regards to the use of alcohol are based on the use of a Standardized FIeld Sobriety test (the walk and turn, horizontal gaze nystagmus, stand on one leg, etc. etc. series of tests), this is combined with the use of a portable breathalyzer test in the field and usually a certfied breath test back at the police station if an arrest is made.

The goal with alchohol is to establish impariment, and to establish that the person has levels of alchohol in thier systems that exceed legal limits. A lot of people don't know that a case can still be made for DUI/DWI based solely on the officers testimony of impariment based on SFST and the officers experience.

The problem in this case is that no measures exist for levels of intoxication for illegal substances such as marijuana and cocaine. Thier is no equivalent ot the BAC scale for alchohol. This test will simply determine the PRESENCE of drugs in a persons system. This is the key factor, currently it is difficult to determine if a person is on a drug and what drug or combination of drugs it is.

Police departments often rely on specialists called DRE's or Drug Recognition Experts who are trained in drug recognition who can examine a subject and make a determination as to what they are on. With the field test for drugs this can be made more scientific with an absolute way to test for the presence of drugs. However, to measure imparment will require continued use of SFTS (Standardized Field Sobriety Tests), as well as the observations of the officer. Of course is some scale could be applied to measure baseline impariment levels for different drugs this could be applied, but in any case the presence of an illegal drug in a persons system would be sufficient to lead to an arrest or citation even in the absence of impairment depending on the situation IE probable cause for the stop etc.

 

[PsychoAndy]

^^^ knows what he's talking about

remember, driving is a privilege, not a right.

 

[brxndxn]

Do you really want someone who has smoked any marijuana or any other illegal substance driving a motor vehicle. I think it is a minimum level of courtesy to other drivers and the community as a whole for people who consume alchohol or use illegal drugs to freaking not drive afterwards.

After for how long? Marijuana can be detected up to 50 days in some cases past the date of use. I sure as hell don't get high for 50 days when I smoke pot - and I sure as hell am not impaired that long.

The level of impairment with marijuana is about the same as being drunk - just wait a few hours and you'll be able to drive again.

Why crack down on recreational drug users? Oh, because it's a total excuse for excessive waste of government money - and it fulfills the propaganda prophecies they fill are heads with in grade school.

 

[thomsbrain]

they wouldn't be testing for what i'd have in my system anyway.

 

[ilovefordranger]

that wont stop me from drinking ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahaha

 

[gopunk]

what justint said.

btw, all you pro-legalization people should WANT this. up until now, this was really the only good reason not to legalize it.

 

[klah]

Originally posted by: gopunk
what justint said.

btw, all you pro-legalization people should WANT this. up until now, this was really the only good reason not to legalize it.

If they set a standard for impairment (i.e. alcohol) then it would be helpful to that cause. If they decide that any level is illegal (i.e. used in past two weeks) than it is not.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Colt45

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

Originally posted by: klah

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
The solution is simple. Don't do it.

So if I take a vacation to Cancun and legally get high I can not drive for 10 days when I return to the US??

I don't care if you take a vacation to Cancun and pound a couple of kilos up your ass. When you come back here and get behind the wheel don't have it in your system.

But the metabolites they test for stay in your system _long_ after the intoxication is gone.

It's not the metabolites that stay in your system in the case of cannabis, it's the fat-soluble THC. A metabolite of THC has already been processed.. and is either in your urine, or close to being in your urine. The reason it can be detected for so long is because it builds up in your system. How long it can be detected totally depends on you as an individual, and your metabolism. If you have a very high metabolism, and a low percentage of bodyfat......

It also depends on the frequency that you smoke. If you smoke occasionally, and have a high metabolism.. you could be clean after a day. If you smoke heavily, and have a low metabolism... It could take a month, or more.. to get your THC metabolite levels below the positive threshold.

Furthermore, we don't know how the test works. If it uses your breath.. I dunno. If it works by detecting THC molecules, I'd imagine that someone who smokes a lot would be pretty screwed.

Another thing to take into account is that.. How would they figure out a limit? Smoking cannabis is different for everybody.....

I would also like to add that I don't believe that cannabis inhibits your ability to drive in any way, shape or form. Even if it could be proven that it did, its effects would be nowhere near as bad as alcohol.

It can't even be compared to alcohol as far as driving goes. There just isn't any similaritys. Apples to oranges.

There have been more than a few studies that show that people who drive stoned actually drive slower than others. It's because you become paranoid when you're stoned. Not to an excessive level, but you're very aware.

Alcohol makes you feel confident. Like nothing can hurt you.. Not so with cannabis. It's more like an information overload.. too much stimulation, data to process.. the natural reaction to that is to slow down, and be more cautious.

Just because of the fact that alcohol is legal makes drinking and driving much more of a problem than smoking and driving. Since it's against the law, people don't drive to bars, get stoned.. and then drive home. No, they do it in the confines of their own home..

I would also like to add that I would be much, much more afraid of a person driving under the influence of prescription painkillers, or even Nyquil... than I would someone who's stoned. Wouldn't you?

I kinda agree with gopunk though. I mean.. If this is what it's going to take to legalize it, then so be it. But that's not the way I see it, I see it as just another way to wage the so called war on drugs.