News / Education
New Drug Test For Law Enforcement
Portable Drug Test to Aid in Detecting Drugs Used While Driving
Later this year, Philips will introduce a handheld electronic device, intended for law enforcement, that uses magnetic nano-particles to screen for five major recreational drugs. This is the first such device for screening drug abuse.
Until now it was not possible for police to conduct a conclusive roadside test for a suspected drug using driver.
Drugged driving is a bigger problem than drunk driving with 16.3 percent of nighttime weekend drivers testing positive for drugs, according to a data released Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey. This compares to the 2.2 percent of drivers that had a blood-alcohol content of 0.8 percent or higher, which exceeds the limit in most states.
The device is intended for roadside use by law enforcement agencies and includes a disposable plastic cartridge and a handheld analyzer. The cartridge has two components: a sample collector for gathering saliva and a measurement chamber containing magnetic nanoparticles. The particles are coated with ligands that bind to one of five different drug groups: cocaine, heroin, cannabis, amphetamine, and methamphetamine.
Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy said about the statement:
"This troubling data shows us, for the first time, the scope of drugged driving in America and reinforces the need to reduce drug abuse."
This study by NHTSA suggests that while we have done a good job in decreasing the number of drunk drivers on the road, down from 7.5% in 1975, drugged driving is becoming a very serious problem.
With legalization of marijuana on the horizon, we face a very serious problem on our highways. This is something to be considered by lawmakers who would legalize marijuana. It is one thing to set up "compassion centers" to dispense pot – it is quite another to expose our children to potheads behind wheels.
The Atlanta Recovery Center continues to spread the message that there are solutions – drug prevention and addiction treatment.
