Victoria won’t test for cocaine-fuelled drivers
While most Australian states have made cocaine part of their roadside drug-testing regime over the past seven years, authorities in Victoria have said no to doing the same.
Cocaine testing for drivers is off the table in Victoria.
While most Australian jurisdictions have made the stimulant part of their roadside drug-testing regime in the past seven years, authorities here believe the level of its involvement in major collisions does not support the move.
Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory have all brought in the roadside tests in the three years since it was revealed Victoria was looking at its own program.
Police in New South Wales have been able to test motorists for cocaine since 2018.
In January, 2022, the Herald Sun revealed the state government was exploring whether the drug could be included in the illicit substance testing regime.
Eighteen months later, the government said it was still working on the technical issues around adding cocaine, including legislative change and the influence on police operations.
But it has since been decided not to press ahead with what would be an expensive change.
Victorian roadside examinations can only test for methamphetamine and MDMA and THC, which is the psychoactive component of cannabis.
Police say major Melbourne entertainment strips would produce many revellers taking advantage of that situation every weekend.
Sources have told the Herald Sun that the current situation means the detection of cocaine in driving was almost non-existent and would only happen in a post-accident blood test.
“You’ve basically got to crash the car,” one experienced officer said.
That member said the use of the drug was booming, as he was reminded on a recent night out at a licensed venue.
“There were people snorting cocaine in a toilet cubicle next to me,” he said.
Cocaine use can be a risk factor for motor crashes because of its stimulant properties and when users are fatigued in a “comedown” phase.
Drivers can also not be tested for heroin in Victoria.
Supt Justin Goldsmith of Victoria Police road policing said last week told 3AW that the force was not seeing cocaine as a “massive risk” in road trauma.
“We follow the road trauma figures very closely. We have laboratory tests of those killed or injured in road trauma collisions. We’re not seeing cocaine play out anywhere near as high as the other three drugs that we currently test for,” Supt Goldsmith said.
A Victoria Police statement said those who tested positive for other drugs may be directed to supply a blood or urine sample which could expose any traces of cocaine.
“Victoria Police can prosecute impaired drivers who drive under the influence of any drug,” it said.
It was revealed in December last year that cocaine use in Melbourne had surged by 300 over the previous three years and that the state’s consumers were now spending $1 billion a year on the drug.
Police say major Melbourne entertainment strips would produce many revellers taking advantage of that situation every weekend.
