New piece on Drug Truth Network: UK Approves Oral Fluid Drug Testing Device for Police Use

My new audio news piece for the Drug Truth Network is online. It will be broadcast on Jan. 9. You can listen to/download the audio file from the link, and the script is below - enjoy :-)

Drugged driving has been an issue of concern for several years. The Drug Czar's office and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (or MADD) recently joined together to make passage of such laws, including per se limits for blood THC levels, a legislative priority. The recent passage of marijuana legalization measures in Colorado and Washington has pushed this concern to the forefront for many. Washington's measure, as many of you are already aware, imposes a whole-blood THC limit of 5 nanograms per milliliter. Colorado's measure did not have such a provision but some state legislators in Colorado have been working for years to enact such a limit, and a bill is slated to be reintroduced in the new legislative session. A primary concern with these laws as far as cannabis is concerned has been the limit itself and whether it's inappropriately low, though much of the research seems to back up the 5 nanogram limit. There's also the question of how quickly THC leaves the system, particularly for frequent heavy users. Another concern has been that blood testing is simply quite invasive, and most law enforcement officers aren't qualified or authorized to get a blood sample which means delays while a suspect is taken to a hospital for a blood draw. Oral fluid – saliva – testing has been suggested in the past as an alternative, but has not been used because of technical limitations. Until now. The UK government's Home Office announced on January 4th, 2013, that it has approved the Draeger DrugTest 5000 for use in police stations around the UK. According to the Home Office news release, quote: “Policing and criminal justice minister Damian Green approved the first drug-driving equipment sanctioned for police use after experts at the home office’s centre for applied science and technology (CAST) carried out extensive tests on its effectiveness. The testing kit is able to detect THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, and is now available to police forces. Work will continue at CAST to test more equipment capable of accurately identifying other substances.” End quote. The European Union's Project on Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines – the DRUID Project – also evaluated Draeger's device along with several others. In their report “Analytical Evaluation of Oral Fluid Screening Devices and Preceding Selection Procedures” issued at the end of March 2010, they conclude that of all the devices tested, quote: “The DrugTest 5000 had the best overall results. ” End quote. Drug War Facts has a new chapter on Drugged Driving, if you want more information, just go to the home page at www dot drug war facts dot org and click on the Drugged Driving link in the chapter list on the left-hand side of the page. For the Drug Truth Network, this is Doug McVay with Drug War Facts and Common Sense for Drug Policy.