<\/p>\n
Drug-drivers face more rigorous tests after a kit for detecting cannabis was approved for use in police stations across the UK, the Home Office said.<\/p>\n
A positive saliva test with the new device means officers will no longer have to call a doctor before asking for a blood sample if they suspect a driver of being on drugs.<\/p>\n
The testing kit is able to detect tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis; equipment capable of accurately identifying other substances is still under development.<\/p>\n
In 2011 a total of 644 accidents, including 49 deaths, were caused by drug-drivers (using both illegal and medicinal substances), according to the Department for Transport.<\/p>\n
A survey by the RAC showed that the number of 17- to 24-year-olds driving after taking drugs increased from five per cent to nine per cent in the 12 months to May 2012.<\/p>\n
Motorists can already be punished for driving while impaired by drugs, but the new testing equipment will make it easier for the police to prove a case, the Home Office said.<\/p>\n
Offenders will face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to \u00a35,000, as well as an automatic driving ban of at least 12 months.<\/p>\n
The new device is made by Draeger, a Hemel Hempstead firm.<\/p>\n
Source: http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/cannabis-tester-to-catch-drugdrivers-8439093.html Fri. 4th January <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Drug-drivers face more rigorous tests after a kit for detecting cannabis was approved for use in police stations across the UK, the Home Office said. A positive saliva test with the new device means officers will no longer have to call a doctor before asking for a blood sample if they suspect a driver […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cannabis-marijuana","category-drugs-and-accidents"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8663\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}