What’s in your saliva could cost you more than you think, if you take drugs and drive on Brisbane roads. But how is your saliva going to make you fall foul of the Police?
It’s all to do with saliva drug testing on Brisbane roads. Saliva drug testing is Queensland Police’s method of choice for detecting people who are driving while under the influence of drugs. It works much the same way as random breath testing, except it’s your saliva that is collected and analysed, instead of your breath.
Here’s how it works:
- A Queensland Police officer can stop you anywhere on a Brisbane road and ask you to undergo saliva drug testing.
- Your saliva is collected using a small device. It’s a simple and painless procedure that simply involves rubbing the collection device inside your mouth.
- Your saliva is analysed on the spot, in as little as a couple of minutes.
- If your result is negative, you’re free to go.
- If your result is positive, you will be taken to a police vehicle for secondary saliva drug testing.
- If this test is also positive, your licence will be suspended for 24 hours and the remainder of your saliva sent to a laboratory for further analysis.
- If this result is also positive, you’ll be notified and charged with the traffic offence of drug driving.
The drugs that Police in Brisbane look for during roadside saliva drug testing are THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, and methylamphetamine or ICE. Unlike testing for alcohol, saliva drug testing is zero tolerance, so it doesn’t matter if you have a small amount of illegal drugs in your system or a lot, you’ll will be penalised if you fail saliva drug testing.
The penalties drug driving in Brisbane and Queensland can be steep: Up to $1706 in fines and 3-month licence disqualification for a first offence, with tougher penalties for subsequent offences.
A question that is often asked when it comes to drug testing – whether it’s in Brisbane or anywhere else in Australia – is how long after consuming illegal drugs will saliva drug testing be able to detect the drugs? As stated on the Queensland Police website: “The detection period for the active ingredient in the relevant drug varies depending on factors such as the quantity and quality of the drug that has been ingested, the frequency of use of the drug and the period of time since taking the drug.” In other words, it’s anyone’s guess, which is why abstaining from taking drugs for a reasonable period before driving is the only safe way.
Saliva drug testing in your Brisbane workplace
In your Brisbane workplace, Integrity Sampling also recommends saliva drug testing, although we will conduct urine drug testing if you prefer. To find out more information about workplace drug testing, using saliva, call us on 1300 SALIVA.
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Saliva drug testing on Brisbane roads can happen anywhere at any time. Credit Queensland Police Service (image cropped) https://bit.ly/2QDRS7U