Kia ora! Driver drug testing won’t begin next week, Dunedin hosts a pot-a-loo party, native psychedelics – all this and more on Marijuana Media on 95bFM, with your hosts Jonny from bFM Drive and Chris Fowlie from The Hempstore.
[click here to play the 95bFM pot-cast in a new window]
Roadside drug testing could begin next week – but won’t
A law allowing new random roadside drug testing takes effect next week, but on the show this week I predicted Police would not be ready to enforce it.
The Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment legislation was passed in March 2022, allowing officers to perform random roadside tests of drivers. Those who fail will (at a minimum) be fined, given demerit points, and barred from driving for 12 hours. The new law takes effect from Saturday 11 March, however I think it’s unlikely police intend to conduct a crackdown – or that they can.
For a start, the new regime makes oral swabs (saliva tests) the first step. These are supposed to be calibrated to measure impairment, not just detect use. My favourite Bay of Plenty website Sunlive reported this week that Police have “identified technological constraints” with the available devices in meeting the requirements of the Act. That could mean innocent drivers fail and impaired drivers pass (this was forewarned by NORML, and others, in submissions on the Bill).
In Australia this has led to many unjust cases in the courts and…
