The Australian Capital Territory will become just the third jurisdiction to detect cocaine in roadside drug tests from midnight tonight, in a bid to better protect road users in Canberra.
As of January 1, 2025, cocaine will be able to be detected in oral fluid tests conducted at the roadside by police officers.
Until now, ACT Policing has only been able to test for cannabis, methamphetamine and MDMA (ecstasy), though cocaine use in the territory has surged following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Motorists found to be driving under the influence of prescription drugs and illicit drugs face fines of up to $4000 (with 25 penalty units worth $160 each) and a six-month default licence disqualification.
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The adoption of testing for cocaine comes seven years after it was added to the New South Wales Police arsenal in early 2018, while the Queensland Police Service followed suit in July 2023 after an increase in drivers testing positive for the drug over the last five years.
When Queensland introduced cocaine testing, it said drug tests are intended to detect the mere presence of drugs, which “shouldn’t be present in a person’s saliva in any concentration”.
As of September 1, 2024, motorists who return a positive roadside oral test for drugs in New South Wales can be placed under arrest, instead of needing to be taken to a police station or nearby testing bus.
According to the National Road Safety Partnership Program – delivered by Monash University’s Accident Research Centre – a quarter of drivers killed in road crashes had drugs other than alcohol in their system.
