The number of samples tested positive for amphetamine among drugged drivers has increased during recent years in Norway. The purpose of this work was to find if drivers using amphetamine were formerly apprehended drunken or drugged drivers or newcomers. The National Institute of Forensic Toxicology in Oslo receives blood samples from all suspected drugged drivers in Norway. All amphetamine positive cases from 1995 were selected for this study. Seventy-one % of the drivers influenced by amphetamine in 1995 were drivers who had been arrested earlier because of impaired driving. More than 60% of the drivers apprehended in 1995 for driving under the influence of amphetamine had earlier revealed alcohol, tetrahydrocannabinol or benzodiazepines in their initial sample. The conclusion of this study is that there is an increase in the frequency of amphetamine positive samples from apprehended drugged drivers in Norway. Drivers impaired by amphetamine are often previous drunken or drugged drivers who have changed from weaker drugs to amphetamine. (Author/publisher).
Abstract