Drink vs drug driving.
Discussion
A neighbour of mine is a custody sgt. He thinks around 2 people are arrested for driving under the influence of drugs for every one arrested for drink driving.
He isn’t sure how the conviction rate for the drug driving varies from the 80% odd arrest to conviction rate for drink. West Midlands, if that is significant.
Anyone any experience?
He isn’t sure how the conviction rate for the drug driving varies from the 80% odd arrest to conviction rate for drink. West Midlands, if that is significant.
Anyone any experience?
Shuvi McTupya said:
Not sure but a lot of those wont actually be under the influence. If alcohol stayed in your system for a week or two i am sure the figures would be very different!
That was what I was wondering, drink is arrest and test, job done, drugs is arrest and send away and wait. How many ‘false positives’ ?cptsideways said:
Arrests in Dorset have been in the region of 16:1 the latter being alcohol
That's ridiculous! As far as i know there isnt any evidence that having a bit of weed in your system makes you a danger on the road..in my experience (historically) it made me drive like an old lady..HustleRussell said:
I regularly smell pot being smoked when I’m driving along, I would hope that a lot of drug driving convictions would be as a result of this kind of brazen behaviour.
Personally. I think they should do some kind of physical roadside sobriety test to see if you are ok to drive, and just charge you with possession of your illegal drugs if you pass the test.If you can fail the drug test days after your last use then it’s ridiculous.
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
This has been discussed before.
A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
Flumpo said:
If you can fail the drug test days after your last use then it’s ridiculous.
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
He's grown his hair out over the years, but has had a smarten up before he moves house next month
His kilted rival in the 'Brex-Factor' quarter finals
still looks wired though
Flumpo said:
If you can fail the drug test days after your last use then it’s ridiculous.
I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
It has been discussed many times. The levels we test for, are below those where it can be called impairment but they are well above those where there is still a significantly increased risk of accidents. It is double standards in one way, in that we set the bar higher for alcohol. I’m 100% behind them coming down hard on people using drugs while driving. But if you are no longer under the influence then all this does is support prohibition. Which I thought we were slowly accepting doesn’t work.
We may as well do a hair test and charge anyone with any trace of drug use ever. Although Boris has quite long hair, so he might not support that idea...
It is, however, exactly the same limit as Canada where Cannabis is legal. Canada also use combined levels of drugs and alcohol so in practice Canada is lower.
It's not just Cannabis though.
There has been an explosion in use of Coke. It's not usual to deal with people daily under the effects or Amphetamines etc.
In a side note why do people see Weed as almost 'harmless'? It's still in your system. Do people think it doesn't impair cognitive/responses etc in any way?
You should build a days grace to a smoke but then most people who smoke weed smoke it regularly..
There has been an explosion in use of Coke. It's not usual to deal with people daily under the effects or Amphetamines etc.
In a side note why do people see Weed as almost 'harmless'? It's still in your system. Do people think it doesn't impair cognitive/responses etc in any way?
You should build a days grace to a smoke but then most people who smoke weed smoke it regularly..
Sa Calobra said:
It's not just Cannabis though.
There has been an explosion in use of Coke. It's not usual to deal with people daily under the effects or Amphetamines etc.
In a side note why do people see Weed as almost 'harmless'? It's still in your system. Do people think it doesn't impair cognitive/responses etc in any way?
You should build a days grace to a smoke but then most people who smoke weed smoke it regularly..
I actually dont think that weed is 'harmless' in 'our' society. Over use of it will almost certainly have an effect on you wanting to get up and go to work for 10 hours every day for fifty years, just so you can then rest your weary body for a few years before you die, and of course, what with it being criminalised you could also make your self unemployable by getting caught using it.There has been an explosion in use of Coke. It's not usual to deal with people daily under the effects or Amphetamines etc.
In a side note why do people see Weed as almost 'harmless'? It's still in your system. Do people think it doesn't impair cognitive/responses etc in any way?
You should build a days grace to a smoke but then most people who smoke weed smoke it regularly..
In a different world though, I dont see why smoking a spliff every day before you got out of bed would ever really cause the average person any harm.
Of course, different drugs have different effects (otherwise what would be the point) and i personally think that some drugs make you a more dangerous driver and some (within reason) do not. I cant imagine a scenario where trace elements of a spliff you had the previous day would make you any more of a danger on the road than having a beer the day before getting behind the wheel, but you can lose your job and livelihood and potentially your liberty i imagine for one, but not the other even though the punishment benefits nobody.
RogerDodger said:
This has been discussed before.
A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
Well there's an easy way around that "unfairness"A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
Don't smoke or take illegal drugs
Chris32345 said:
Well there's an easy way around that "unfairness"
Don't smoke or take illegal drugs
I've no issues with weed as long as users don't affect other people, other people smell it or the users use the NHS or involvement of Police due to associated mental health issues.Don't smoke or take illegal drugs
The middle class view is it relaxes you and causes on issues go there. How wrong that is.
Always the same problem with unregulated drugs, that rollup that you were given , was it low grade cannabis or some high strength skunk ? Was it also laced with god knows what . I have a couple of members of extended family that smoke weed very regularly, both have behaviour problems and I certainly would never get in their cars . One managed to roll a car at legal speed on a straight road .
Don't forget the people being tested, it's the same grounds testing drink drivers...
The quality of their driving has drawn attention to them for some reason, usually because it is below the standard required.
Anybody I've drug swiped tested, I would have previously arrested for Sec4 so it's not like the people I'm testing are presenting normally anyway it just happens police now have better tools at their disposal.
The road side tests are also only to allow you grounds to take bloods in custody which are then analysed, if it transpires your bloods come back as a negative result no further action is taken and you aren't on an interim ban for this period so it doesn't have a massive impact on you.
Or even easier way to not stress, don't use illegal drugs, regardless of individuals points if view, rightly or wrongly they are still illegal.
The quality of their driving has drawn attention to them for some reason, usually because it is below the standard required.
Anybody I've drug swiped tested, I would have previously arrested for Sec4 so it's not like the people I'm testing are presenting normally anyway it just happens police now have better tools at their disposal.
The road side tests are also only to allow you grounds to take bloods in custody which are then analysed, if it transpires your bloods come back as a negative result no further action is taken and you aren't on an interim ban for this period so it doesn't have a massive impact on you.
Or even easier way to not stress, don't use illegal drugs, regardless of individuals points if view, rightly or wrongly they are still illegal.
RogerDodger said:
This has been discussed before.
A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
Alternatively don't break the law and smoke cannabis and you will never get caught out. A friend of mine is a copper and he said with the introduction of the drug test the rate of arrests has gone through the roof, with cannabis. It stays in your system many hours after its worn off. Around 1 day seems to be the general consensus.
Basically, if you smoke, and a LOT of people do, then if you get a random stop, within 24 hours of smoking, you are going to fail. It is brutally unfair.
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