Road-side drug screening using saliva from drivers suspected to be influenced.

To facilitate the detection of drugged driving, devices designed for roadside drug screening in saliva have been developed. Comparison of the various detection systems and devices have been included in the European ROSITA (Road Side Testing Assessment) project. In the Norwegian part of the ROSITA project, two different devices designed for saliva have been tested on approximately 450 samples, to detect the following drugs: Amphetamines and opiates (RapiScan, Drugwipe), ecstasy, cannabinoids and benzodiazepines (RapiScan ). After saliva prescreening, mainly performed roadside by the police, blood and urine samples have been collected for immunological and chromatographic analyses performed at the National Institute of Forensic Toxicology, for comparison with saliva prescreening results. For a number of drivers (n=50), saliva samples have been analysed by chromatographic methods for drug quantification. The final conclusion will include the evaluation of the devices made by the police with respect to handling, recording of test results and use of time. Status per January 2000: The testing period is now running at the different police districts, using the different devices and will continue until April, 2000.