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Ineffective Roadside Drug Testing

Recently, many questions have arisen about the efficacy and fairness of roadside saliva testing for marijuana. Government and law enforcement officials claim that these tests aren’t biased, and that they’re simply trying to protect drivers from the potential dangers of marijuana-impaired drivers. However, critics have maintained that the police need to find a new method of testing for marijuana that is more accurate at identifying intoxication levels, and pinpointing the time-frame of marijuana use.

Compared to roadside tests for alcohol, these marijuana saliva tests are rather shoddy. A breathalyzer test can effectively monitor an individual’s blood alcohol levels, and thus a driver’s level of impairment. According to the Advocate Daily, the marijuana screening methods are really only able to detect the presence of marijuana in a person’s system, without any indication of intoxication. This shortcoming of these tests may lead to the police arresting someone for the marijuana equivalent of a single beer.

Also, depending on a person’s metabolism, marijuana can stay present in their body’s fat cells for nearly six months. While this won’t affect a majority of saliva tests, some argue that it could result in false positives on other tests. Arresting someone for marijuana intoxication when, in fact, they haven’t used the drug for a long time casts too wide a net–one that many innocent people may be caught in.

What’s more, saliva tests are only effective at testing for marijuana that has been smoked. Marijuana ingested through baked goods, or other “edibles” might end up getting a pass.

Although police need effective tools to reduce the negative effects of drug-impaired driving, a better testing method is clearly needed. Simply put, these roadside saliva tests are shiny, new, and relatively untested. Because they are ineffective, they provide little to no safety for other drivers, and their continued application diverts funds from a truly effective method of testing.

Currently there is no authority in the Criminal Code for a police officer to demand any kind of saliva or breath sample to determine the presence of marihuana in a person’s body. The government has said that they plan to introduce legislation by the spring of 2017 that will give the police this power. A number of different Saliva tests are currently undergoing testing by the RCMP

If you or someone you know is currently facing drug charges, including a marijuana related driving offence, contact criminal attorney Julian van der Walle. You can reach him by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He has the knowledge and experience to answer any questions you might have about your charges, and he has an impressive record of defending B.C. residents.

Photo by Dan Harrelson

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