CANNABIS users made up the majority of convicted drug drivers in the Riverina, a report has revealed. Approximately 98 per cent of those charged with the offence were later found guilty in court. Controversy has again erupted over how long marijuana can be detected by NSW Police’s Draeger DrugTest 5000 after it is first induced. Wagga solicitor Zac Tankard said local courts are becoming clogged with drug driving cases carrying over from 2016. “It used to be that you’d see three or four drinks drivers a day in Wagga,” he said. “Now we’re seeing a higher number of drug driving matters, I believe, going through the courts.” It comes after lawyer David Barron claimed roadside testing is skewed against drug users – rather than drug drivers – and acts as a “bit of a revenue raiser”. “In relation to detecting whether a drug is simply present or not, it tends to be less about road safety and more about money,” he told The Daily Advertiser last month. Most of those convicted of drug driving offences faced fines of $649 and a three to six-month licence suspension. The report’s findings refer to the 2016 calendar year – prior to NSW Police reportedly deciding to cease targeted and mobile drug testing. Former PCYC’s Traffic Offenders Program participant Wayne Blair said his life was thrown into disarray when he was suspended from driving. He believes his punishment was harsh, given claims he had smoked cannabis three days prior. “I couldn’t work and I couldn’t drive my kids to school – I basically became useless,” he said. “It’s the ultimate humiliation when you lose all of your independence. “I get that people need to be punished, but they can’t prove you were under the influence while you were driving and isn’t that the whole concept behind innocent until proven guilty.” Greens MP David Shoebridge said current restrictions made it a “de-facto criminal offence” to have potentially minuscule quantities of drugs present in your system. "We are talking about inevitably thousands of people who will be losing their licence for up to 12 months and having to pay significant fines when there was no evidence they were a danger to other road users," Mr Shoebridge said.
CANNABIS users made up the majority of convicted drug drivers in the Riverina, a report has revealed.
Approximately 98 per cent of those charged with the offence were later found guilty in court.
Controversy has again erupted over how long marijuana can be detected by NSW Police’s Draeger DrugTest 5000 after it is first induced.
Wagga solicitor Zac Tankard said local courts are becoming clogged with drug driving cases carrying over from 2016.
“It used to be that you’d see three or four drinks drivers a day in Wagga,” he said.
“Now we’re seeing a higher number of drug driving matters, I believe, going through the courts.”
It comes after lawyer David Barron claimed roadside testing is skewed against drug users – rather than drug drivers – and acts as a “bit of a revenue raiser”.
“In relation to detecting whether a drug is simply present or not, it tends to be less about road safety and more about money,” he told The Daily Advertiser last month.
Most of those convicted of drug driving offences faced fines of $649 and a three to six-month licence suspension.
The report’s findings refer to the 2016 calendar year – prior to NSW Police reportedly deciding to cease targeted and mobile drug testing.
Former PCYC’s Traffic Offenders Program participant Wayne Blair said his life was thrown into disarray when he was suspended from driving.
He believes his punishment was harsh, given claims he had smoked cannabis three days prior.
“I couldn’t work and I couldn’t drive my kids to school – I basically became useless,” he said.
“It’s the ultimate humiliation when you lose all of your independence.
“I get that people need to be punished, but they can’t prove you were under the influence while you were driving and isn’t that the whole concept behind innocent until proven guilty.”
Greens MP David Shoebridge said current restrictions made it a “de-facto criminal offence” to have potentially minuscule quantities of drugs present in your system.
"We are talking about inevitably thousands of people who will be losing their licence for up to 12 months and having to pay significant fines when there was no evidence they were a danger to other road users," Mr Shoebridge said.
