Drug Impairment

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Drug Impairment

• Helen Poulsen

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Stages of Alcohol Intoxication
Blood Alcohol Stage Symptoms (mg/100mL) 10-50
Subclinical Nearly normal behaviour 30-12
0 Euphoria Decreased inhibitions Effects
judgement and
control 90-250 Excitement Drowsiness,
impairment of perception and
memory 180-300 Confusion Mental
confusion 250-400 Stupor Sleep or stupor
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Cannabis

• Euphoria
• Impaired Perception and cognition
• Loss of motor coordination
• Issues with driving
• Take longer to respond to events
• Choose inappropriate response
• Reduced ability to pay attention
• Changed perception of time and distance

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Methamphetamine

• Euphoria with stimulant effects
• Low dose alerting
• Higher dose disorientation, affect cognition,
  reasoning and motor control
• Chronic use delusions and psychotic episodes

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Methamphetamine

• Issues with driving
• Over confident
• Take unnecessary risks
• Aggressive and dangerous driving
• Impaired ability to react appropriately
• May suddenly fall asleep when the effects of the
  drug wears off

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Study Investigate alcohol and drug use in NZ
drivers

• 2000 samples from hospitalised of fatally
  injured drivers
• Legislation currently prevents research on blood
  samples taken under Land Transport Act
• Restricted to fatally injured drivers

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Drugs under Investigation

• Alcohol
• Cannabis
• Methamphetamine
• Morphine
• Prescribed medication, particularly sedatives

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474 Driver Deaths

• 408 blood samples received and tested by ESR
• 66 deaths - no blood received

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408 Bloods tested

• 200 with no alcohol or drugs of any type (49)
• 208 with alcohol and/or some other drug / drugs

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208 drivers who had used drugs or alcohol

• 52 - alcohol only
• 50 - alcohol and cannabis
• 41 - cannabis only
• 20 - alcohol plus another drug other than
  cannabis
• 45 - cannabis plus another drug other than
  alcohol

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208 drivers

• 122 used alcohol
• 124 used cannabis
• Other drugs
• Methamphetamine (15)- almost always with one or
  more other drugs
• Sedatives (21) - could be residue from night time
  use
• Methadone (11) OK to drive once used to effects

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Culpability

• Are drugs an issue ?
• Consider culpability of the driver involved in
  the accident
• Are drivers using a drug more often culpable
  than those not taking drugs
• Need statistically significant numbers of
  drivers taking a single drug to determine the
  effect of that drug