Drug testing in Victoria has been in the news of late and it’s not just people who have been driving vehicles while under the influence of drugs that have been in the spotlight.
This follows news that Victoria Police are not testing for cocaine when conducting roadside drug testing on Victoria’s roads. Victoria’s drug testing focuses instead on detecting cannabis, methamphetamines, amphetamines and ecstasy.
In a 9 News website article, Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton is quoted as saying that cocaine isn’t one of the drugs that is the biggest priority. And there are statistics to back this up. While a National Drug Survey shows that one in 40 Australians over the age of 14 have used cocaine more than once, the 9 News article highlights that the drug is responsible for less than one per cent of road trauma cases.
The same article quotes Police Minister Lisa Neville, who says that while police officers in Victoria don’t test for cocaine using roadside saliva drug testing, they are still able to detect drivers affected by the drug. “They can pull someone over, do a drug test, still be concerned and do a blood test,” she said.
Drug testing in Victoria over the rainbow!
There was seemingly more than just music, arts and lifestyle taking place at the 4-day Rainbow Serpent lifestyle festival in country Victoria, which finished this past Monday.
Roadside drug testing carried out by Victoria Police on drivers leaving the event found 44 people who returned a positive preliminary test for drug driving. An additional person allegedly recorded a blood alcohol level over the legal limit.
A Ballarat Courier article quotes Inspector Trevor Cornwill, who said that overall police are happy with the behaviour of people who attended the festival. “But it’s still disappointing to see that some people continue to drive while under the influence of illicit drugs.”
