The number of roadside drug tests across the state will double from 100,000 a year to 200,000 a year by 2020 as a result of last year’s particularly high death toll.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The NSW government announced a series of reforms on Monday designed to crack down on drug-driving, which included adding cocaine to the list of drugs subject to roadside testing.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said more action was needed after 42 of the 392 deaths on NSW roads last year involved drug-affected drivers.
The maximum penalties for drug-drivers will also be increased to two years imprisonment, fines of $5500, and licence disqualification for up to five years.
While the addition of cocaine to the roadside testing list has long been called for, opponents have criticised the government’s reforms for failing to address other fundamental flaws in the scheme.
Narrandera herbalist Rach Cregan said there was no scientific data to suggest drug tests save lives.
“Drug testing is not effective because there is no agreed impairment level as there is with alcohol testing – it just looks like blatant revenue raising” she said.
“It just punishes people for presence of the substance – it doesn’t take into account how they came to have it in their system, like if they were passive smoking, or how long ago it was consumed.
“The only printed guideline in Australia says there should be a 12 hour break between cannabis consumption and driving – that is the only legal recommendation – but these tests don't take that period into account.”
According to Greens MP David Shoebridge, one person was charged with drug driving after consuming cannabis nine full days before the offence.
