The government implements Australia-wide uniform drug driving laws to allow for a complete defence to the presence of THC in a driver’s oral fluid or blood when:
Our GPs are continually frustrated by the current driving laws that prevent them from offering a safe and effective alternative to commonly prescribed and sedating compounds such as opioids and benzodiazepines. We need to have confidence that GPs are more than capable of managing a patients therapy, whether the patient wishes to drive to work or otherwise.
Our current drug driving laws have failed to improve road safety and unfairly discriminate against thousands of people by imposing a grossly disproportionate punishment regime against individuals and impeding broader public health outcomes. Patients should not have to choose between medicine or mobility.
Current driving laws, surrounding cannabis, are extremely prohibitive to its use in medical practice. Many patients don’t want to proceed due to risking their licence or their independence. The mere presence of THC, and not any associated impairment, is flatly discriminatory and stigmatises an emerging therapy.
“Penalties for roadside drug testing for cannabis are far more severe than for drivers with a positive random breath test for alcohol. Loss of a driving licence is a very severe penalty for people with serious health problems who require frequent medical care and people living in rural areas.”
“Entoura is supporting the Drive Change campaign as the restrictions on driving whilst taking medicinal cannabis is one of the top two reason why many Australian are not accessing quality medicines that may significantly improve their quality of life. Equalising the state of play with other prescription medications is paramount for increasing access and the resultant positive social impact.”
