Downie
New Member
found this
http://autofix.com.au/blog/archives/413
Ok, now I’m getting worried. Having just read the Queensland Government’s Drug Driving Factsheet it seems that there is no provision at all for people taking prescription drugs. I am a cronic back pain sufferer, hence this blog instead of our beloved workshop, and I take the maximum dose I can of pain killers just to keep what’s left of my sanity. I should have researched this topic a little further before forming an opinion. If Panadeine Forte is going to get us convicted of ‘drug driving’ then maybe they should set-up thier van outside the pain clinic I go to. Plenty of ‘drug drivers’ there!
My initial thoughts were that this could only be a good thing, get the drivers off the road that are high as a kite on speed, ecstasy and the like. Certainly these types of drugs would have a significant affect on your reaction time and concentration levels, however I fail to see how they can class Panadeine, Nurofen Plus and Actifed in the same class as mind-altering drugs. Am I just being ignorant and don’t realise the affect that these prescription drugs can have on you? I don’t know, all I can say is that I know when I shouldn’t drive, like after taking valium when my pain is really strong but I believe that I have the ability to drive properly after taking my daily dose of Panadeine Forte.
In the Drug Driving Factsheet it starts off by saying that Police will undertake saliva testing for illegal drugs from December 1. If there is no leniency towards people taking prescription drugs why wasn’t this more widely advertised. How many people are going to be caught after taking what they thought was a ’safe’ drug. Maybe they where relying on a common sense approach by drivers, which makes sense, or maybe there is no test that can determine between illegal and prescription drugs so they have put all drugs which have certain active ingredients into the same class, no-matter what thier strength or affect.
The factsheet is a little confusing but from what I can gather this is a list of some of the prescription drugs that can be detected and if you provide a positive saliva sample you will be charged with ‘drug driving’.
Slimming pills
Sudafed, Benadryl, Codral, Tylenol Cold and Flu (small amounts of psuedoephedrine)
Codeine based pain killers. Panadeine, Codalgin, Dymadon, Nurofen Plus, Mersyndol and Aspalgin.
Valium, Rohypnol, Serapax, Rivotril, Mogadon, Alepam, Alodorm, Antenex, Ducene, Normison and Temaze. These I can understand, you are warned not to drive when prescribed most of these.
Some anti-depressants. Well there goes half the driving population!
Polaramine, Avil and Actifed
Sedatives and Tranquilizers - a no-brainer.
The moral of the story is if you are taking anything at all, check with your doctor first but I really think that the fact that alot of prescription drugs are on the list should have been more widely publicized and I do wonder how many people are going to be caught out by this. As I said, maybe it is my ignorance about the affect many of these prescription drugs have on people or maybe there is no test specifically for illegal drugs so they put them all under the same banner. Please tell us what you think.
wtf so if u have some pain killers u can be charged for driving under the influance of drugs?
http://autofix.com.au/blog/archives/413
Ok, now I’m getting worried. Having just read the Queensland Government’s Drug Driving Factsheet it seems that there is no provision at all for people taking prescription drugs. I am a cronic back pain sufferer, hence this blog instead of our beloved workshop, and I take the maximum dose I can of pain killers just to keep what’s left of my sanity. I should have researched this topic a little further before forming an opinion. If Panadeine Forte is going to get us convicted of ‘drug driving’ then maybe they should set-up thier van outside the pain clinic I go to. Plenty of ‘drug drivers’ there!
My initial thoughts were that this could only be a good thing, get the drivers off the road that are high as a kite on speed, ecstasy and the like. Certainly these types of drugs would have a significant affect on your reaction time and concentration levels, however I fail to see how they can class Panadeine, Nurofen Plus and Actifed in the same class as mind-altering drugs. Am I just being ignorant and don’t realise the affect that these prescription drugs can have on you? I don’t know, all I can say is that I know when I shouldn’t drive, like after taking valium when my pain is really strong but I believe that I have the ability to drive properly after taking my daily dose of Panadeine Forte.
In the Drug Driving Factsheet it starts off by saying that Police will undertake saliva testing for illegal drugs from December 1. If there is no leniency towards people taking prescription drugs why wasn’t this more widely advertised. How many people are going to be caught after taking what they thought was a ’safe’ drug. Maybe they where relying on a common sense approach by drivers, which makes sense, or maybe there is no test that can determine between illegal and prescription drugs so they have put all drugs which have certain active ingredients into the same class, no-matter what thier strength or affect.
The factsheet is a little confusing but from what I can gather this is a list of some of the prescription drugs that can be detected and if you provide a positive saliva sample you will be charged with ‘drug driving’.
Slimming pills
Sudafed, Benadryl, Codral, Tylenol Cold and Flu (small amounts of psuedoephedrine)
Codeine based pain killers. Panadeine, Codalgin, Dymadon, Nurofen Plus, Mersyndol and Aspalgin.
Valium, Rohypnol, Serapax, Rivotril, Mogadon, Alepam, Alodorm, Antenex, Ducene, Normison and Temaze. These I can understand, you are warned not to drive when prescribed most of these.
Some anti-depressants. Well there goes half the driving population!
Polaramine, Avil and Actifed
Sedatives and Tranquilizers - a no-brainer.
The moral of the story is if you are taking anything at all, check with your doctor first but I really think that the fact that alot of prescription drugs are on the list should have been more widely publicized and I do wonder how many people are going to be caught out by this. As I said, maybe it is my ignorance about the affect many of these prescription drugs have on people or maybe there is no test specifically for illegal drugs so they put them all under the same banner. Please tell us what you think.
wtf so if u have some pain killers u can be charged for driving under the influance of drugs? 
