Ms Moyagh Murdock:

The process proposed is mirrored with mandatory alcohol testing on the roads. Basically, it is about impairment and the perception that the driver might be under the influence of a drug or alcohol. This is contrary to what was done in the UK, where they have a prescribed list of drugs in specific amounts. We are taking the approach that the key drugs that will be looked for are cannabis, cocaine and benzodiazepines. At the station, if a driver detected as being impaired, a blood sample will be taken.

We felt that if we were to go down the same route as the UK, with a prescribed list of drugs, the list would be constantly changing, with combinations of different drugs and head shop drugs that might not even be identified by detection. It is proposed to have an impairment test at the roadside, including a mandatory one. It will not be a case of forming an impression that somebody is under the influence of drugs. There will also be mandatory testing where all drivers at a checkpoint will be put through an impairment test. We believe that will definitely lead to an increase in the number of detections. The message will be out there that one will be detected and disqualified if one takes a chance. It is a combination of several processes. We learned from the process adopted in the UK that it could be out of date quickly.