DRIVER DRUG TEST LAW WAITS ON NEW TECHNOLOGY

New laws to allow random roadside testing for drugs were almost
complete, Police Minister Michelle Roberts told a Budget estimates
hearing at State Parliament last night.

Mrs Roberts said she was closely watching a Victorian trial, which had
so far proved effective, and hoped WA laws would be in place once
improved technology was available.

She said new technology had been developed to identify the different
types of drugs in a person's system and how long ago they had used
them. WA police had already been trained to conduct roadside
behavioural tests to assess if a person was under the influence of
drugs.

"What we want is a foolproof system of quickly identifying what drugs
are present - the way technology is advancing it's only a short matter
of time before we can get some recognised system," Mrs Roberts said.

The Victorian trial forces drivers to give a saliva sample that is
processed within minutes, showing the presence of drugs such as
marijuana, speed, cocaine and ecstasy.