We’ve all heard of roadside breathalyzer tests when it comes to drinking and driving.

But spot saliva tests for drug use?

That’s the recommendation from two Western University legal experts who have tabled a study on drug use and driving for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada.

Western law professors Erika Chamberlain and Robert Solomon claim that while the number of people driving while high on drugs is up, enforcement is lax when it comes to charging people with impaired driving because drug use is often hard to prove.

“You have more and more young people admitting to driving after drug use, not just after consuming alcohol,” said Chamberlain.

“I don’t think people realize that this is a growing problem,” said Chamberlain.

Already used in Australia and some European cities, roadside saliva tests are a quick and easy way to check for drugs, Chamberlain said.

Just like a breathalyzer, which detects the driver’s blood alcohol level, the saliva test would be used to test targeted drugs and the amount in the driver’s system.

While it’s likely going to be a few years before we see roadside saliva tests as frequently as we see drunk driving blitzes, Chamberlain said, drug-impaired driving is not an issue the government can ignore.

“It’s just going to become a greater and greater problem,” she said.

alex.weber@sunmedia.ca

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BY THE NUMBERS



500— Officers in Canada qualified to conduct DREs.

$17,000— Cost to train each officer.

2— Officers in the London police force trained in DRE.

65,183— Impaired driving charges laid in Canada in 2010.

915 — Of those impaired charges were for drug-impaired driving.

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WHAT’S RECOMMENDED

A roadside saliva test administered by police officers to screen drivers suspected of being high on drugs while behind the wheel.

HOW IT WORKS

The test would be similar to ones used in the Australian state of Victoria, where police officers are able to demand a saliva sample from any driver at the roadside.

The driver uses a swab to provide a saliva sample and if it tests positive for any of the targeted drugs, the driver must accompany police and take a second test, which is sent to a lab to be analyzed.

If that test is also positive the driver is charged.

For the system to work, the government would have to establish a specific amount for each of the drugs targeted that would mean the driver was in fact “high” at the time of the test, because some drugs can stay in a person’s body long after the impairing affects have worn off.

SKEPTICISM

While DREs accurately determine if a person has drugs in their system, the courts remain skeptical about the link between the presence of drugs in a driver’s system and impairment because some drugs can stay in a person’s body long after the effects have worn off.

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ENFORCEMENT NOW

Under the Criminal Code, it’s difficult for police officers to determine if someone is driving while high. If an officer suspects someone is driving while impaired by drugs they can administer a physical co-ordination test before launching a multi-step Drug Recognition Evaluation (DRE), a process designed to reveal whether a driver is impaired by one of the seven classes of frequently abused drugs — depressants, inhalants, phencyclidine, cannabis, stimulants, hallucinogens and narcotics.

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WHO’S DRIVING HIGH?