×

A test for cottonmouth?

Village police to get training in oral fluid tests for drugs

SARANAC LAKE — A Saranac Lake police officer will attend training on the new oral tests for driving while under the influence of drugs [DUID].

Village trustees voted to send Patrolman Leigh Wenske, a NYS Certified Drug Recognition Expert, to an 8-hour workshop in Latham to learn how to use oral fluid testing. The new oral swab tests were tested in a pilot program in Michigan last fall and are seen as less invasive than urine or blood sample testing.

The Vermont Senate recently killed a bill that would have allowed for warrantless roadside drug testing. Opponents of the bill, which passed the lower house but didn’t make it to the Senate floor, included the Vermont ACLU and the Vermont Defender General’s office. They argued that the tests do not prove the driver is impaired. Other critics contend that drivers with disabilities who may be on doctor-prescribed pain medications will be unfairly punished, and that the tests give false positive readings.

A number of recreational drugs can be detected by saliva testing: marijuana, cocaine, methamphetine, benzodiazepines and opiates. Different drugs break down in the body at different rates, so another objection of opponents is that drivers could lose their licenses for drugs ingested days before — like getting a drunk driving charge on Sunday morning for a party you went to Friday night.

The tests are widely used by law enforcement in Australia and the United Kingdom.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.75/week.

Subscribe Today