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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Roadside Drug Testing (VIC)

hoptis said:
I have heard plenty of anecdotal and second-hand reports that the saliva testing equipment is already being used by ordinary patrol vehicles.

Why this might be happening and yet the public still told there is only one drug bus, I'm not sure. Like I said, it's just conjecture, it may not be true.
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The fact of the matter is the booze/drug buses are too big and obstructive to fit on a lot of metropolitan Victorian roads which is why they tend to operate in the same locations. Having road side drug testing from a normal police vehicle would make sense (and personally I think I have seen it) but you think there would be cause for contamination if you had to give a second saliva specimen out in the open air. I don't know. I just want to know everything there is about it.
 
dls - the court penalty is if you contest the charge in court and lose - if you cop it sweet it's the lower penalty

Those stats are fascinating - note the "research purposes" MDMA results. This backs up the info I had - the saliva tests can't distinguish between MDMA and methamphetamine; it's only at the lab that the difference is apparent. So it's convenient now that driving with detectable MDMA on board is now also illegal - no more of those pesky false positives!
 
Why would anyone contest the charge unless they definitely weren't on drugs? This doesn't totally make sense.

I was under the impression that if you were caught drink driving and you lose your licence you have to appear before the Magistrates Court to get you licence back. Of the 10 times I have sat in a Magistrates Court most cases that are heard are to do with driving over the legal limit and said people wanting their licence back after said loss of licence period.

I don't get it.... Are we sure it isn't we get the traffic infringement and then get summonsed to court?
 
dls said:
Why would anyone contest the charge unless they definitely weren't on drugs? This doesn't totally make sense.

I was under the impression that if you were caught drink driving and you lose your licence you have to appear before the Magistrates Court to get you licence back. Of the 10 times I have sat in a Magistrates Court most cases that are heard are to do with driving over the legal limit and said people wanting their licence back after said loss of licence period.

I don't get it.... Are we sure it isn't we get the traffic infringement and then get summonsed to court?
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I'm with ayjay on this, I'm pretty sure the penalties are infringements as specified and the further penalties if you take the issue to court, contest it and lose.

There are many reasons why someone might contest a charge, not the least of which is that Victoria Police have no conclusive science done in Australia about the effects of ecstasy on driving and impairment levels... all it takes is someone with the money for legal fees.

Since these laws are so new I think there is plenty of room for challenges if someone has the resources to do it.
 
Since these laws are so new I think there is plenty of room for challenges if someone has the resources to do it.
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Without inflicting any bad karma on myself, I hope this happens.

Do you think a traffic infringement would hamper being on a good behavour bond?
 
dls said:
Do you think a traffic infringement would hamper being on a good behavour bond?
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On that I would suggest you ask a lawyer, but I will say that having already been in trouble with the law, why would you consider risking it again? Is it really worth it?
 
Of course it isn't worth it. I don't plan on driving under the influence. It's just the week after I'm worried about.
 
dls said:
Of course it isn't worth it. I don't plan on driving under the influence. It's just the week after I'm worried about.
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Does anyone know exactly how long you have to wait before you will be able to drive & not be tested positive?
 
trancegirle said:
Does anyone know exactly how long you have to wait before you will be able to drive & not be tested positive?
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Well this is the major issue. We don't know specifically what is in the drugs we are taking, nor do we know the amounts of chemicals in the drugs we are taking. Then to top off that issue everyone metabolises drugs differently. There are too many factors like how much food you have, how fit you are etc etc. So it's basically impossible to know when the drugs are out of your system. Methamphetamine has a really long half life so there is a chance you could still test positive for it 4 or 5 days after having it.

I've had heaps of urine tests done and used to give myself at least 5 days to cleanse my system before I had one to be pretty confident I wouldn't test positive. But the GC-MS testing has specific levels for each type of drugs. For example, the Amine class, the level of mg they tested for had to be above 200mg. So if I had traces of amphetamines in my system it was most likely I wouldn't test positive. The problem with the tests that the poilce are using is that we don't know what levels of substance they are testing for. The threshhold could be just > 0 and you'd test positive if you had traces in your system.

Sorry, does that make sense at all? The figures are incorrect as I'm only guestimating them but I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that you just can't tell.
 
^^ yeah makes sense:) ta ... id lyk to point out i think thats FUCKED - if its true

I have a friend who is in the army and he told me it apparently takes 2 days to be clean for a urine test.. Is it different for saliva or blood tests?
 
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Fry-d- said:
We are told the tests are designed to show impairment not if you have had it in the last few days but no one seems to know for sure what this measurement is. Someone on this forum had access to the tests early on in the peice it would be great to have some actual data on them.....
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That would have been Pop Popavich.

Have a read of these posts for an indication of some of the tests they did.

Post 1
Post 2

I think I find that information fairly useful, but of course, everyone's metabolism is different so there can't be any guarantees at this stage.
 
Pop was kind enough to send me some samples of the drug wipe test together with the included info on this and other tests trialed in Victoria.

I'll see if I can dig those up...I'm sure I scanned them once for someone.

In the meantime, here's a link to the site that supplies Drugwipe. Detection limits are also listed.

Drugwip 5
 
So if im clear, to be totally sure that the tests will not come up positive you should wait 72 hours before driving after taking ecstasy or amphetimines?
 
I'd say you wouldn't test positive after 72 hours but you can never be definite. It'd be pretty safe to say you were though.

You're lucky you actually don't have to drive for that long a period. I live in my car...
 
So if im clear, to be totally sure that the tests will not come up positive you should wait 72 hours before driving after taking ecstasy or amphetimines?
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With an estimated 2-4 hour cutoff point I'd say that 72 hours would more than suffice. However, my concern lies with those who are chronic users. We still don't know if clearance will generally be increased, decreased or unaffected in these people.

As mentioned, because individuals often metabolise various drugs at significantly different rates, expected "clearance time" ( defined in this case as when the test no longer shows a positive) will also vary. This may be further affected by certain pharmaceutical medications.

Immunolabeling tests work by employing 2 (sometimes more) immunolabeling chemicals. One is a principle antibody and the other is usually bound to a metal (in this case gold) which produces the colour or fluorescence when bound to the principle antibody. However, before being able to bind, the principle antibody, usually an endogenous or modified endogenous compound, has to first bind with the drug or metabolite. This initial binding is quite selective (although it will often bind with structurally similar compounds e.g. methamphetamine and MDMA)

The drugwipe (initial screening) test is designed to pick up the presence of the drug itself or initial metabolites. Once the drug is further metabolized and the identifiable compound/s reduced to levels below detection limits, the tests should give a negative. As can be imagined with most drugs, other drug metabolites are still present long after intoxication has subsided but because of their chemical structure, they cannot bind with the antibody.


To be sure, and thereby both comply with the law, and minimise any personal inconvenience, I would suggest obtaining a few drug wipe kits and doing the tests yourself. Although the roadside test also uses a detector, providing the tests are read under adequate lighting, this isn't required (a magnifying glass may also help).
 
New drive on drinks, drugs
Anthony Dowsley
October 11, 2006 12:00am

DRINK-DRIVERS and drug-drivers face severe penalties and longer jail terms under tough new laws that become effective today.

The State Government has bolstered drug-driving laws to make them commensurate with drink-driving laws, but those caught will still avoid jail terms.

The harsher maximum penalties double the sanctions for first-time drug drivers from $628 to $1256.

A second-offence fine increases from 12 penalty units, or a $1256 fine, to 60 penalty units, or $6283.

Subsequent offences will incur a maximum fine of up to $12,567.

Courts have also increased power to cancel a driver's licence if he or she refuses to supply an oral fluid sample within three to six months.

Further offences can incur a licence cancellation of 12 months.

The new laws do not give magistrates the scope to send drug-drivers to jail.

First-time drink-driving offenders still face a $1256 fine, with the maximum prison term doubled from three to six months.

But repeat drink-drivers will be hit hard in the pocket and face potentially lengthy jail stints.

A second-offence penalty is up from $2618 to $6283, if a driver's reading is under .15, but if blood-alcohol content exceeds .15 a driver can be slapped with a $12,567 penalty.

Prison terms for second offences are capped at 12 months.

But repeat drink-drivers will be subject to prison terms of up to 18 months and punitive fines of almost $19,000.

The crackdown has been prompted by the alarming number of drivers caught with drugs in their system on Victoria's roads -- a staggering one in 46 drivers out of 13,172 tested.

Police Minister Tim Holding said making penalties tougher for drug-drivers was a reaction to the extreme danger they posed to other road users.
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Herald Sun
 
^ oh yey! These fines aren't intended to single out a specific group in the community at all 8) Who can afford these fines.. rich/middle class/middle aged ppl.. who can't, young/underpaid/students/lower classes ect Don't worry office coke heads you can deal with this, perhaps a inconvinence, certainly nothing you cant deal with though.. look out party goers this one will cost you dearly. I feel safer already!
 
Ive heard that the test does work for ecstasy. I heard a poiceman on the radio discussing it.
 
ultraphunky said:
Ive heard that the test does work for ecstasy.
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There is no doubt it does test for ecstasy. This has been the case since July. If you have consumed ecstasy, speed or ice and get tested while the drug is still active in your system you will test positive and be fined etc.
 
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