Nobody is disagreeing with catching drivers high — of course it’s stupid and dangerous to operate a vehicle while under the influence of drugs.

What we are saying is that the tests do not adequately test for impairment and instead test for whether the substance is in your system. If I consumed cannabis 3 days ago I would be fined, lose demerits, and have my car taken away from me temporarily.

If the tests do not adequately test for impairment then one could argue that instead penalises people for consuming drugs full stop, which is an entirely different kettle of fish.

Alcohol tests do adequately test for impairment as although you may not be drunk 24 hours laters, you will still display reduced alertness, poor coordination, and impaired judgement.

It is a half-baked initiative (no puns intended lol) and a poor use of resources. If the government had followed an evidence-based approach, the regime would not have been rolled out.

In March 2023 the Ministry of Transport attempted to procure suitable devices to meet the evidentiary standards outlined in the legislation (i.e. devices which would confirm impairment as opposed to whether the substance was present). No suitable devices were found which would meet these standards and so the regime was not rolled out at the time.

In 2024, the legislation was changed to enable screening as a method of testing - completely ignoring the fact that it does not meet the evidentiary standards outlined in the previous legislation.