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Drug driving law change

by Mark Rowe

Changes to drug driving legislation come into force next month. A new offence has been introduced by the government to tackle the those who abuse drugs and drive. Coalition Government Transport Minister Robert Goodwill has called on pharmacies to help customers understand the changes.

Robert Goodwill said: “Drug driving is a menace and this new law will ensure police have the necessary powers to crack down on those dangerous few who continue to risk lives by taking illegal drugs and driving. We have taken every care to ensure people who take prescription or over the counter medicines as instructed and are fit to drive are not affected by the legislation. However, there are changes and people need to be aware of what that means for them. That is why I am calling on pharmacy teams to back our campaign to give patients the information to keep them safe and legal on our roads.”

The new law will make it an offence to drive while over specified limits for a total of 16 drugs. Eight of the drugs could be used for medicinal purposes although the specified limit allows for the normal recommended doses that most patients would be prescribed. Patients who take their medicines as intended should therefore not be affected by this legislation, provided the medicine does not affect their driving. The testing limit for the remaining eight drugs in the list, more associated with illegal use, such as cannabis and cocaine, have been set very low so even small doses are likely to test positive, the Government adds. Some illegal drugs have medicinal uses but these are rare.

It will remain an offence to drive while your ability is impaired by drugs and, if in doubt, you should not drive, the authorities advise. However, unlike the existing offence, patients who are able to drive safely will have a medical defence if they take the medicine in accordance with advice given by a healthcare professional and/or printed in the accompanying written instructions. Pharmacies are being asked to support the campaign from February 2015 by:

briefing pharmacy teams using the published healthcare guidance
displaying campaign materials online and via social media
displaying campaign materials in-store and pharmacies, eg stickers on prescription bags

An expert panel assisted the government in developing the new law. Organisations consulted included the National Pharmacy Association, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Pharmacy Substance Misuse Group, Pharmacy Voice and the British Pain Society.

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