From December 16, 2016, until the middle of March this year, police officers from seven jurisdictions across Canada collected over 1,140 saliva samples, using two types of handheld devices, reports CTV News Canada.
Police officers critiquing the devices said they were easy to use and worked very well in various weather, temperature, and lighting conditions, Public Safety Canada said on Tuesday.
“The results from this pilot project indicate that with the proper training and standard operating procedures, these devices are a useful additional tool for Canadian law enforcement to better detect individuals who drive under the influence of drugs.”
With the Liberal government’s move to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, having an additional tool will help to keep the drug out of the hands of young people and deny profits to drug dealers. Not only that, but recent legislation will make it legal for police officers to demand a saliva test if they suspect a driver has drugs in their body.
If the roadside test gives a police officer reason to believe the driver is drug-impaired, the officer could then order an examination by an evaluating officer or the taking of a blood sample.
Two types of roadside testing devices used
Securetec’s DrugSwipe S was one of the devices used in the pilot project. The DrugSwipe is capable of identifying several drugs, including THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamines, opioids, benzodiazepines, and amphetamines.
Drugswipe uses a very small amount of saliva, yet can give reliable results over 95 percent of the time, based on follow-up laboratory confirmation. Currently, according to the company, the DrugSwipe testing device is being used in 30 countries across the globe.
The Alere DDS2 roadside drug testing device also gives police officers a result in five minutes and can test for up to seven drugs using a saliva sample. The DDS2 was developed to meet the requirements of law enforcement, drug treatment centers, and workplace environments.
DDS2 is battery operated, lightweight, compact and has a full-color screen. The analyzer can store 10,000 results which can be printed at the end of the test or reprinted from the memory card. Test data can be downloaded to the optional Alere™ Software Application Suite for enhanced data management capabilities.
Zack Elias, an Edmonton criminal lawyer, did urge caution be applied in interpreting the results, pointing out the scientific basis for determining the level of marijuana in someone’s body isn’t as clear as the determination of alcohol levels.
“If we’re going to be instituting some type of scientific measure, there should be some consensus before we put that into place,” he said. “Otherwise you’re going to be convicting people who have smoked marijuana the day before, a week before, you don’t know.”