AU: Police launch world-first ecstasy blitz

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In a world-first crackdown, police will use new technology to nab drivers using ecstasy, police minister Tim Holding announced today.

From Friday, the so-called designer drug will join cannabis and speed as drugs motorists will be tested for in what the minister claimed is a world first.

First-time offenders face fines of up to $1300 and a six-month driving ban.
"We are the first jurisdiction anywhere in the world to have random roadside testing for drugs," Mr Holding said today.

Assistant commissioner (traffic) Noel Ashby said ecstasy users were the "last people" police wanted driving.

"There's no doubt that ecstasy is one of the core drugs that cause problems on our roads," Mr Ashby said today.

"A large of percentage of our drivers have ecstasy in their system, and they also have a cocktail of other drugs.

"This initiative today gives us considerable capacity to make our roads safer."

Mr Ashby said drivers using ecstasy suffered impaired judgement, a false sense of bravado and could fall asleep suddenly as the drug's effect wore off.

"They are a danger to themselves and a danger to other road users," he said.

Drivers will be asked to provide a saliva sample on a small, absorbent pad on their tongue. Any preliminary indication of drugs in their system will lead to further sampling. A blood test is conducted only if there is insufficient saliva to produce a reading.

The process usually takes between five and seven minutes and Mr Ashby said the test was "fail-safe in every respect".

"We are absolutely confident ... we get the right result," Mr Ashby said.
Statistics from Mr Holding's office indicated more than 40 per cent of drivers killed in Victoria tested positive to drugs other than alcohol in 2005.

Since Victoria Police started testing for cannabis and speed in December 2005, 436 of the 21,000 drivers tested (or one in 49) have returned positive results to one or both substances.

Mr Holding said penalties such as license disqualification, prison terms and fines have been increased for motorists who test positive, as well as those who refuse to take a test.

theage.com.au, with AAP

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Police launch world-first ecstasy blitz
Email Print Normal font Large font Jordan Chong
August 29, 2006 - 12:58PM

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/police-launch-drugdrive-blitz/2006/08/29/1156617314943.html
 
I have concerns about people still testing positive in the days following use.

I don't see the problem with prosecuting intoxicated drivers. Have i missed something?
 
can someone tell me if they can detect if you are currently intoxicated on THC or do they do regular drug tests?
 
how accurate are the tests. what tests are they using. this article is very vague. i would like to know more on how the actual test is conducted and how they are positive it is a failsafe test.

theres been false positives before and im sure they can still be produced with this new testing.
 
I can't seem to find my other post on this topic (there was another similar thread), but suffice it to say, I think this is totally retarded. What a fucking waste of time and resources.
 
^^True this seems to be a waste of time and $. and with only 1 in 49 people testing "+" it seems that just over 2% of people are using drugs so what about those 20,564 other people? If I were them I would start some real shit over this.
 
come on guys.. they're not just gonna start pulling over every driver and giving them an ecstasy test. They're gonna wait till they run across someone jittery as fuck with buzzing eyes and a grinding jaw, who was driving poorly enough to get pulled over in the first place.

It sounds like a good plan to me.
 
^ i have to agree with you... it's no different than driving drunk. there is no way that a person can drive 100% as well when they are high on ecstasy. it's our community that has to recognize that being truly high while driving is just not acceptable.

(now the methods discussed in the article I don't agree with.. it's the principle of driving while high I'm commenting on. having a drug in your system does not equate to being high).
 
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Just when you thought America's laws were fucked. The Aussies are crazier than we are with this shit.

I think we can all agree that it's still better than Thailand, however.
 
Growfh said:
come on guys.. they're not just gonna start pulling over every driver and giving them an ecstasy test. They're gonna wait till they run across someone jittery as fuck with buzzing eyes and a grinding jaw, who was driving poorly enough to get pulled over in the first place.
Click to expand...


from the article:
"We are the first jurisdiction anywhere in the world to have random roadside testing for drugs," Mr Holding said today.


so no, they won't be pulling over every driver, but it does say they're doing random testing. therefore, they don't need to see you driving poorly. just like roadside check points here in the US.
 
Well I for one find it a little scary. I like to puff the odd joint and do the odd bit of other 'substances' that can remain in your system for days or even weeks. Once I went to rehab in the U.S. (big mistake..but that's another story) and they tested me when I went in. I was positive for cocaine and cannabis. the cocaine I can live with as I used it the night before, however, I had not touched cannabis in 6 months.
I was a daily cannabis user for 18 years prior to that...but still ...6 months?

That is scary. I'll never be able to drive again. Let's hope this dies out.

Unfortunetly I doubt it. I can remember no seatbelts, no impaired driving (alcohol). They used to tell you to go home and sleep it off. With the increase in the spectrum of drugs used it seems inevitable to me...sigh.


Please let this 'technology' be found faulty.
 
Hi,

There's plenty more info on the testing methods used in the following thread.

VIC - Drug Driving Tests Here To Stay

The device used in the initial roadside test is the Securetec Drupwipe II, there's plenty of information on this device online.

On-Site Testing of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy) in Saliva with Drugwipe and Drugread: A Controlled Study in Recreational Users

We Melbournians have lived with the drug bus for a few years now, Victoria leads the world in many road-safety practices and it's not surprising that our state would be the first in the world to test for ecstasy.

The road safety experts here believe that drug testing will affect a culture change much like in the past with seat belts and drink driving and in many situations many of us living here have seen this effect in ourselves and our friends since the testing started.

Is this a by-proxy method of drug law enforcement? Possibly.

Am I sick of hearing people tell me how much fun they think it is to drive while they can't even read their phone? Yes.

I don't believe that impairment can be properly gauged by these type of tests so I think they are unfair, but then I also think that if drug users want to show the world that we can be responsible and intelligent human beings, we need to act in that manner... and if all of us did, these test wouldn't be necessary.
 
Yey its fun to live in melbourne!! The drugs are plentiful, the nights are long, the people are fun and the cops ARE DRINK/DRUG TESTING EVERYONE!! Look out world this shit is all coming your way.. oh and this thechnology is not faulty... the trials went off without a hitch the courts upheld everything, the statistics made the politicians cream! The testing is set up where they know for certain drug users are going to be driving, so it will never look like a waste of money.. the American made war on drugs has gone to a new level.
Beware EU and U.S these days will reach you soon and give authorities new and better ways to penalise drug users..
 
Growfh said:
come on guys.. they're not just gonna start pulling over every driver and giving them an ecstasy test. They're gonna wait till they run across someone jittery as fuck with buzzing eyes and a grinding jaw, who was driving poorly enough to get pulled over in the first place.

It sounds like a good plan to me.
Click to expand...

Nah why bother, just park outside any clubland area after 4am and pull over everyone.
 
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