Police testing drug-impaired driving devices
Saliva-based test detects presence of marijuana
WHAT WE WERE INTERESTED IN WAS CAN YOU USE ORAL FLUID SCREENING AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO ASSESS RECENT DRUG USE? THE ANSWER TO THAT WAS YES. — DOUG BEIRNESS, DRUGS AND DRIVING COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRMAN
• Police across Canada will be testing three saliva- based roadside devices on suspected drug-impaired drivers after a team of scientists studied how they detect the presence of drugs such as marijuana.
Doug Beirness, vicechairman of the Drugs and Driving Committee within the professional organization of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science, said the Mounties and the Ontario government funded their research, which was completed last year.
“What we were interested in was can you use oral fluid screening at the side of the road to assess recent drug use? The answer to that was yes.”
Beirness said two of the drug-detecting devices, the Draeger Drug Test and the Drugwipe, are manufactured in Germany and the other is called the Alere, which is made in Britain.
The next step, before any of the devices can be approved in Canada, is for police officers to test them in the field in various jurisdictions, said Beirness, adding that a Justice Department representative attends their committee meetings.
The RCMP confirmed Thursday that its plans involve testing so-called oral fluid drug screening devices, which are similar to breathalyzers used to detect the presence of alcohol.
“Such devices can aid in the identification and apprehension of drug-impaired drivers and are becoming increasingly commercially available and are currently being used in other countries,” the force said in a statement.
The Mounties said surveys and research suggest drugimpaired driving is becoming as prevalent as driving under the influence of alcohol.
Officers using the device at the roadside would ask drivers to stick out their tongues, as a sample of saliva is taken with an instrument similar to a tongue depressor.
Beirness, who co-authored a 2015 report on cannabis use and driving for the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, said the devices would help provide police with evidence that could lead to convictions.
Currently, police who suspect drug-impaired driving use a standard sobriety test that includes looking at a driver’s eyes and asking the person to walk and turn and stand on one leg.
A drug-screening device would be another tool in an officer’s arsenal, Beirness said.