Cannabis & Driving
Discussion
Cannabis stays in the body much longer than alcohol. The latter is dissolved in water in the body and is excreted via normal methods, cannabis has an affinity for the fat in the body, and it takes much longer to remove itself.
The smell of cannabis is distinctive. If a bobby stops him for any reason, and they smell it, they'll test him.
The smell of cannabis is distinctive. If a bobby stops him for any reason, and they smell it, they'll test him.
J6542 said:
Millions of people regularly smoke a joint at night and drive the next day, it’s no different to having a glass of wine after dinner and driving to work the next day.
Lots of drinkers deserve to get nicked.Lots of dopers deserve to get nicked.
The only difference is the way alcohol is metabolised out of the body so you'll pass a test is fairly well understood.
And pot is still illegal.
J6542 said:
Millions of people regularly smoke a joint at night and drive the next day, it’s no different to having a glass of wine after dinner and driving to work the next day.
.....and a good many of those will get caught at some point, hopefully getting at least 6 points on licence.By the way, a joint will often remain in your system longer than a glass of wine.
agtlaw said:
The bar for unfit is lower. The driver can be unfit to drive through drink or drugs but below the statutory limit. You can arrest for unfit without doing a preliminary test; s.4(6)
Arrest for OPL is after preliminary test or failure to provide; see 6D
I'm confused as its late and I've not had much sleep...I don't see why what I've said in my first post is the wrong way? Arrest for OPL is after preliminary test or failure to provide; see 6D
I do think the OP needs to have a serious talk with his son.
Not only is there the issue of driving whilst still over the prescribed limit, but there is also the fact that many companies do random drugs and alcohol testing and it is often now a pre employment requirement to undergo a drugs and alcohol test. Also companies often now have lower limits than those set out in the RTA.
Not only is there the issue of driving whilst still over the prescribed limit, but there is also the fact that many companies do random drugs and alcohol testing and it is often now a pre employment requirement to undergo a drugs and alcohol test. Also companies often now have lower limits than those set out in the RTA.
agtlaw said:
DaiB said:
Don't want to be overly judgemental towards the OP, he's not suggesting he should allow his son to drive high, he's asking when it is definitively safe for him to drive should he smoke a spliff or two at the weekend.
I suspect the numbers are all over the place as there is no legal limit for cannabis as there is for alcohol - so technically any trace found in his blood should he be involved in an incident would probably be enough for a drug driving charge. This could mean that well after any noticeable effects have worn off, there could still be a detectable amount of active substance sloshing around which could get him in trouble.
Conversely, because there's no legal position on it, there's no easily quantifiable data either. How strong is the stuff he's smoking? How much did he put in the joint? etc, etc.
Easy solution is zero tolerance on your part I would say. Any suspicion of smoking at the weekend, no driving that week. Or, even better, no driving at all until he learns you have to make sacrifices to be safe.
Once he has his own car and licence, regrettably he'll be able to do what he wants.
Completely wrong. I suspect the numbers are all over the place as there is no legal limit for cannabis as there is for alcohol - so technically any trace found in his blood should he be involved in an incident would probably be enough for a drug driving charge. This could mean that well after any noticeable effects have worn off, there could still be a detectable amount of active substance sloshing around which could get him in trouble.
Conversely, because there's no legal position on it, there's no easily quantifiable data either. How strong is the stuff he's smoking? How much did he put in the joint? etc, etc.
Easy solution is zero tolerance on your part I would say. Any suspicion of smoking at the weekend, no driving that week. Or, even better, no driving at all until he learns you have to make sacrifices to be safe.
Once he has his own car and licence, regrettably he'll be able to do what he wants.
Various drug driving limits have been in force since 2015.
In 2023, drug driving prosecutions exceed drink driving prosecutions.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/drug-dri...
and31 said:
Is it standard procedure to do a drug wipe on every police stop or after a collision etc or is it discretionary?
You have the same powers to request a drug wipe as a breath test. Basically need to have either a moving traffic offence, suspicion or RTC.
I don't do them as often as breath tests. But slightest suspicion and ill do one.
DaiB said:
Fair - I didn't word that particularly well. Perhaps I should have said there's no level at which you're allowed to smoke cannabis and then drive.
How do you mean "no level"? It's no different to there being a level for alcohol. Cannabis/THC is 2µg/L, alcohol is 80ml/L. How it gets there is mostly irrelevant in terms of you being stopped at the roadside and tested (other than if you believe you have a defence).edit: Some ways you could be driving in excess of the cannabis limit and not have broken UK drugs laws:
- Prescription medication
- Accidental exposure
- Got off a plane from Amsterdam, Colorado etc
Edited by Gareth79 on Thursday 19th October 22:27
JackJarvis said:
J6542 said:
Millions of people regularly smoke a joint at night and drive the next day, it’s no different to having a glass of wine after dinner and driving to work the next day.
Yes, quite. I mean, it's completely different but apart from that it's no different.Do other European countries have higher limits than us?
J6542 said:
JackJarvis said:
J6542 said:
Millions of people regularly smoke a joint at night and drive the next day, it’s no different to having a glass of wine after dinner and driving to work the next day.
Yes, quite. I mean, it's completely different but apart from that it's no different.Do other European countries have higher limits than us?
Lets hope he gets caught and banned sooner rather than later.
I mean, FFS.
J6542 said:
Some people relax with a glass of wine, some relax with a joint. If the current legal limit means you can be over the next day from having a joint the night before, then the limit is to low.
Do other European countries have higher limits than us?
Just ignore the law and go with what you feel is right…Do other European countries have higher limits than us?
Dear o dear
juice said:
Unless he is doing something to attract the attention of the Police (speeding/weaving/DWDC etc) then unless he's actively smoking a spliff in the car then I'd say it was very unlikely. Just my take on it.
I don’t know about you but I can smell a spliffy car when driving behind. I don’t even mean when the driver is smoking one at the time. It’s very distinctive - reminds me of being back at college with mates whose cars were just totally contaminated by it.The point being - a cop driving behind a car with people who are smoking a spliff or have done so in the car in the past will know immediately.
Thanks for the replies - Although I'm a little confused about all the take the car away/lock him up now responses.
My son is 17, nearly 18. He is a very social lad and spends a lot of time out with mates. I don't know for sure if he has ever smoked a joint, but rather than taking the rather naive view that some parents take and saying "my son would never take drugs/drink alcohol", I'm assuming he will experiment with these things like many of us did at that age. I'm not suggesting he has ever come home and attempted to get into the car sticking of booze or weed and if he tried to (remember he hasn't passed his test, so I'm always going to be sat next to him) I would clearly be able to prevent him from driving. But I would not be able to detect if he had experimented with cannabis days earlier and wanted to try an understand/educate him what the risks were in this scenario, before he passes his test and is let loose on his own.
On top of that, I know someone who was tested on the roadside last year on the way back from a party as the designated driver who tested positive for cannabis, despite never having used it in his life. There had been several people smoking it at the party in a relatively enclosed space and one of them was in the car when he was stopped and the smell caused the police to test him for it. In court, his solicitor argued that he was exposed at the party and although the court accepted this, they didn't excuse it and he was banned for a year.
My son is 17, nearly 18. He is a very social lad and spends a lot of time out with mates. I don't know for sure if he has ever smoked a joint, but rather than taking the rather naive view that some parents take and saying "my son would never take drugs/drink alcohol", I'm assuming he will experiment with these things like many of us did at that age. I'm not suggesting he has ever come home and attempted to get into the car sticking of booze or weed and if he tried to (remember he hasn't passed his test, so I'm always going to be sat next to him) I would clearly be able to prevent him from driving. But I would not be able to detect if he had experimented with cannabis days earlier and wanted to try an understand/educate him what the risks were in this scenario, before he passes his test and is let loose on his own.
On top of that, I know someone who was tested on the roadside last year on the way back from a party as the designated driver who tested positive for cannabis, despite never having used it in his life. There had been several people smoking it at the party in a relatively enclosed space and one of them was in the car when he was stopped and the smell caused the police to test him for it. In court, his solicitor argued that he was exposed at the party and although the court accepted this, they didn't excuse it and he was banned for a year.
Edited by cashmax on Friday 20th October 00:42
I seriously doubt that story , I get randomly tested for work and because a few friends smoke weed around me (legally here) I've asked my testers about the chances of a poor test result , very very slim '
Regards your son driving , you need to sit him and lay a few ground rules if in doubt about his social activities , eg any messing around and the car goes , for good .
Regards your son driving , you need to sit him and lay a few ground rules if in doubt about his social activities , eg any messing around and the car goes , for good .
J6542 said:
Millions of people regularly smoke a joint at night and drive the next day, it’s no different to having a glass of wine after dinner and driving to work the next day.
I think what you're trying to say is millions of people regularly buy illegal drugs thus supporting organised crime and then drive vehicles with illegal amounts of that illegal drug in their system and don't give a toss about either.Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff