EDITORIAL: Drug tests to catch culprits
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ALMOST half the drivers pulled over by police in Wodonga for random drug testing at the weekend tested positive to a prohibited substance.
The operation to detect people driving while affected by drugs ran from Friday night to Sunday night.
Seven men out of the 16 people stopped by police tested positive, most of them to either cocaine or methamphetamine.
Wodonga Highway Patrol’s Sgt Cameron Roberts said he was not surprised by the prevalence of the substances detected.
“We have the capacity to drug test anybody any time,” he said.
“Every now and then we get more concerned about it and the results are pretty obvious.”
It was a targeted operation by police who have been conducting random drug tests in the region since 2009.
Sgt Roberts said officers had established those they should be targeting, having tried a number of enforcement methods.
“As we move from area to area, and we have different staff doing the tests,” he said.
“Our staff become more proficient in spotting the type of people to test.”
Police said not only should people not be driving while affected by drugs, but they shouldn’t be taking them at all.
“The message is these people’s ability to drive is impaired whether they want to argue the point or not,” Sgt Roberts said.
Random drug testing is a three-stage process including a roadside test, a test at the police station and a lab test.
If all three stages yield a positive result, offenders receive a penalty notice and lose their licence for three months.
Anyone testing positive to drug-driving with a prior conviction will face court.
Sgt Cameron said while there were different regimes for testing those affected by illegal and prescription drugs, drivers needed to be aware that driving while taking prescription medication could also be illegal.
“Whether it’s prescription or illicit drugs, the chances of being caught are becoming more and more likely,” Sgt Roberts said.