ARUC says cannabis driving tests should target 'impairment' after concerns

Roadside drug testing should focus on whether a driver is under the effects of cannabis, rather than whether there is any trace of it in the body, the public body regulating legal cannabis use in Malta said.

“It is impairment that poses a real risk to road safety,” a spokesperson for the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis said.

The government recently announced its plans to start random roadside testing for drink and drug driving. It also intends to introduce mandatory prison sentences for behind-the-wheel manslaughter if the driver was over the alcohol limit or had drugs in their system.

In comments to Times of Malta, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said the government is not planning to change existing limits for drink or drug driving.

The alcohol limit for a car driver is 0.5 grams per litre of blood (around two small beers), while there can be no drugs (including cannabis) in your system if you are behind the wheel.

On this issue, the authority that regulates legal cannabis in Malta said it fully supports a zero-tolerance approach towards drivers who are impaired and therefore endanger others. However, the presence of traces in the body without any associated impairment should be treated with caution, as the science shows this does not necessarily equate to unsafe driving.

The authority said it is in favour of the government’s drive to introduce roadside alcohol and drug testing as “a measure that can strengthen responsibility behind the wheel.”

“Road safety is a priority that the ARUC has consistently emphasised from the outset,” it added.

The spokesperson said that ARUC has long had the measure on its radar.

“In fact, last April the Authority brought together the Malta Road Safety Council, the Police Executive, Transport Malta, medical experts from Doctors for Road Safety, and the Emergency Department at Mater Dei to ensure that momentum was being built in this direction.”

“Our message throughout has been clear and consistent: laws in this sensitive area must protect public safety, but they must also be proportionate and anchored in scientific evidence.”

On the issue, the spokesperson said that ARUC presented a “comprehensive” position paper to the Home Affairs Ministry.

When asked for a copy of the position paper, ARUC said it had been formally submitted to the Ministry for Home Affairs and that it would have no objection should the Ministry decide to release it.

“The Authority will continue to engage closely with its stakeholders, including licensed associations, and remains committed to ensuring that the forthcoming framework strengthens road safety while also reflecting the principles of evidence-based policy.”

Malta’s cannabis user lobby group ReLeaf had previously pointed out that cannabis can remain in the body for hours “without causing impairment.”

Across Europe, cannabis driving limits vary: the Netherlands permits up to 3 nanograms per millilitre of blood. Belgium, Ireland, and Denmark allow up to 1 ng/ml, while France, Italy, and Spain completely prohibit driving so long as there is detectable THC in one’s bloodstream.

Germany has Europe's most permissive cannabis-driving laws, allowing up to 3.5ng/ml. 

When they introduced the limits last year,  German authorities argued that the permissible limit of cannabis in the bloodstream is the impairment equivalent to 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (roughly a small beer).