@tryptameanie 974154 wrote:
That thing about positively identifying NPS through blood is total horseshit. MPA is detected as amphetamine and on top of that I’m surprised he didn’t argue the time that the metabolites are detectable in blood and urine making it impossible to say if he was unfit through drugs at that time.
apologies – I should have clarified that as being an incident where a UK Court had accepted NPS drug use as being the source of a positive drug test in a DUI case; something I had not seen before (other cases concentrating on traditional “illegal” drugs or prescribed pharms).
The MPA user admitted to having used the substance when he was searched and a packet was discovered – which makes sense as he would not want to end up being busted for posession class B as well as the traffic offence.
I think all drugs tests check for metabolites rather than the drugs themselves – the sewer water tests were not for MPA alone but for a variety of stimulants including MDMA-type ones, cathinones and PMA.
These (which already happen for other drugs) appear to be used to semi-covertly monitor drug usage levels in defined areas; especially in smaller European towns/cities where night time venues are kept to a certain part of a town.
There does seem to be a misconception doing the rounds that NPS use (or even the use of “legit” pharms whether or not within a prescription) is less detectable or doing these is “less wrong” than doing “street drugs” (which isn’t the case when on the road or in public places!)
To get charged for dangerous use of a vehicle (which can include bicycles in the UK!) the road user either has to have drawn attention to themselves by their behaviour or got into a crash.
All that said; although folk should avoid driving or even cycling when clearly under the influence another risk point many are less aware of is in the following days after a heavy weekend when they are sleep deprived and yet may have to get up early and travel to a place of work. I’m aware of young people in my region (East Anglia, geographically large compared to London/SE) being hurt/killed on Mondays due to this factor.
