Christopher Knaus
A saliva swab that tests for drugs in drivers. Photo: Ken Irwin
The ACT’s new drug-driving laws have come under fire after a senior public servant who ate a breakfast muesli containing hemp seeds was dragged through a nine-month court battle.
The 2011 laws raised immediate concerns from lawyers and civil libertarians for their zero-tolerance approach, which criminalises even the smallest trace of drugs found in a driver’s system.
Fears were raised that the laws, designed for road safety, ignored the actual impairment level of a driver and threatened to snare Canberrans who had accidentally or innocently ingested drugs.
That approach differs to drink- driving laws, where drivers are allowed to consume a legal minimum because it does not impair their ability to drive.
Full Article:
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/hempseed-muesli-led-to-act-drugdriving-charge-laws-under-fire-20131011-2vegn.html