This law has been introduced to assist the police in detecting and arresting those persons who are putting lives at risk on the road by driving under the influence of drugs.

Previously, the law centred around the concept of impairment through the ingestion of drugs, with no limits in place for any particular classes of drugs, which made prosecution of offenders difficult.

The regulations effectively introduce a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for illegal substance ingestion in relation to driving, with only trace amounts being allowed for such drugs. Conversely, the more commonly prescribed medications have a much higher limit, at levels generally attributed to abuse or overdose.

The majority of patients will therefore not be affected by these changes. The amount of any drug present in the body depends on a number of variables: The amount prescribed, how long the body takes to metabolise and excrete the drug, and the presence in the body of any other substance that could interact with the drug. But anyone who decides to participate in recreational drug use will find themselves affected by this law.