According to South Australia’s Police Minister Peter Malinauskas, users of medical cannabis will not be allowed to drive with marijuana in their system. This will be the case even if the drug is made legal in the area.
Police Minister Malinauskas has also revealed that it would take $100,000 extra annually in order to make sure forensic scientists can keep up with a growing number of driver drug tests.
After a South Australian police officer conducts a roadside test, it would have to be later confirmed by a laboratory.
According to Malinauskas, Forensic Science SA, which conducts the second laboratory tests, would “see an increase in samples for laboratory confirmation” as a result.
Even if Parliament legalizes medical marijuana, Malinauskas says that the users would “need to ensure that the THC is no longer present in their system prior to driving”.
He explained, “The screening devices used are able to detect THC for several hours after use. Inactive THC residue in the body of a driver from use in previous days or weeks will not be detected.”
“Drugs affect a person’s judgment and may result in dangerous driving behaviour if the drug driver feels impatient, aggressive or has a heightened sense of their own abilities,” he further said.
For those who are caught for the first time driving with marijuana still in their system, there would be a three-month licence disqualification and an increased licence disqualification periods for repeat offences.
