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Showing posts with the label cost of drug use

What Are the Penalties for ‘Drugged Driving’ in Australia?

What Are the Penalties for ‘Drugged Driving’ in Australia? Joe Wilson - Leafly Mobile drug testing, or MDT, is on the rise in Australia. Police in all states and territories can now require drivers to provide a saliva sample to be tested for cannabis and amphetamines. In the country’s most populous state, New South Wales, authorities boast that by 2017 there will be three times the number of tests on the state’s roads. At the same time, a number of “drugged driving” campaigns have drawn criticism and stoked confusion. To help clarify, this article sets out penalties that accompany a positive roadside drug test in various Australian states. Note that all penalties are for first-time offenses. State of Queensland (QLD) Police in Queensland are able to test drivers for cannabis in conjunction with so-called random breath testing (RBT) or as a standalone test. The presence of any cannabis whatsoever in a sample is an offense, carrying a maximum penalty of

Caught drug-driving nine days after smoking cannabis

Acquittal of man caught drug-driving nine days after smoking cannabis throws NSW drug laws into doubt By the News National Reporting Team's Lorna Knowles and Alison Branley New South Wales's roadside drug testing laws have been thrown into doubt after a magistrate acquitted a man who tested positive for cannabis he had smoked nine days before he was pulled over. Key points: Man waited nine days after smoking cannabis before he got behind the wheel THC was detected in his saliva and he was charged He had earlier been told by police to wait at least a week before driving The Greens say the judgement leaves the drug testing laws in disarray Lismore magistrate David Heilpern yesterday found Joseph Ross Carrall not guilty of driving with an illicit drug in his blood because he mistakenly believed that he would no longer test positive to the drug. Mr Carrall was pulled over for random drug tests in May and June last year. When he was tested in May

Leading the pack on recreational drugs

Leading the pack on recreational drugs Amy Corderoy, Health Editor, Sydney Morning Herald from The Age, June 22, 2013  A new policy will deal with drugs as a health issue, not a criminal one, writes Amy Corderoy. At first glance, it resembles your typical focus group. A free feed, $20, and a gift card - all to have your every thought poked and prodded for a few hours. "It was just that out-of-hours corporate focus group experience," says Brendan*. "But this time we got stoned". They want the highs to actually be legal, and low risk.  The 30-year-old Auckland man is part of a small group of New Zealanders preparing for the introduction in August of radical new drug laws. His country will soon become the first to regulate new recreational drugs based solely on their harms. Brendan's focus group is one of the first steps in this process. "The possibility of being involved in legitimate drug sales, five or 10 years ago I would hav