Drug breathalyzer
IN PHOTO: An inmate blows into a breathalyzer during a test for drug use at the Maricopa County Fourth Avenue Jail in Phoenix, Arizona August 21, 2012. Reuters/Joshua

The new law on roadside drug test found that a lot of people have been using drugs while behind the wheel, according to a report from The Star. Particularly, in South Yorkshire, England, the number of people failing the drug tests is higher than in any place in Wales and England.

Since the new law was introduced in March, 118 people have been tested for cannabis or cocaine while driving, and 61 of them were shown to be positive. The Star also reports that a great majority uses cannabis compared to cocaine and most of them were men between the ages of 17 and 25.

The new law means that drivers under the influence of drugs will face the same penalties that of driving under the influence of alcohol. Officers are now carrying roadside drug testing kits, just like alcohol breathalysers, to screen for illegal substance use.

According to reports, Police Chief for South Yorkshire Police David Crompton said that 52 percent of the failed drug tests in the area are not significantly higher compared to other forces, but he said there is a need to raise awareness on the new laws against drug driving. Crompton also said the South Yorkshire was the first police force to have a positive test result in just hours after the law was enforced and also the first to have made a conviction.

“I have been asked if we have a particular drug problem in South Yorkshire. My view is no,” he said in The Star report. Crompton stated that the fact that people take drugs while driving comes as no big surprise to him.

So far, the South Yorkshire has convicted two people under the new drug driving law, according to South York Police news. One is 18-year old Elliot Greaves who pleaded guilty in March, four days after the introduction of the new law.

Another one was a 22-year old man from Thurnscoe, Michael Allington, who admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana on March 6. The blood test results show that Allington had three times more than the limit of cannabis, 2 microgrammes per litre of blood in his system.

Crompton said that more work is needed so that drug driving will become socially accepted like its drunk driving counterpart. He also thanked police for the awareness efforts.

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