Breathalyzer for Drugs? Not possible!

The January 30, 2012 USA Today contained a short article in which Sens. Schumer of New York and Pryor of Arkansas suggest increasing funding to develop a breathalyzer type device to test for drugs. Here's my letter to the USA Today in response.

Dear Editor:

No Breathalyzer for drugs

The holy grail of drugged-driving enforcement is, as Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Mark Pryor of Arkansas stated, a "...breathalyzer-like technology..." to identify individuals who drive under the influence of non-alcohol drugs.

For many reasons, it's extremely unlikely that such a device will ever be available.  Breathalyzer-type instruments test only for alcohol. The impairing drugs of abuse, however, are many. They include illicit drugs like PCP, marijuana, LSD, and heroin, along with legitimate pharmaceuticals like the benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, and others), opiates (Oxycodone, hydrocodone, and others), and even non-drugs such as paint and other volatile solvents that are "huffed." And if that doesn't complicate the issue enough, drug users are poly-drug users. This means that they use more than one drug at the same time. Often, one of the drugs is alcohol. It's also important to realize that there many non-drug causes of driving impairment. These non-drug causes include fatigue, dementia, and a host of medical conditions ranging from stroke to uncontrolled diabetes. 

The key to effective drugged-driving enforcement is the well-trained police officer who can recognize and document impairment from any cause. The Drug Evaluation and Classification Program, supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, trains selected officers to become Drug Recognition Experts (DRE's).  These officers, approximately 7000 in the U.S. and Canada, use a step-by-step procedure to determine if a driver is impaired, and that the impairment is due to drugs rather than a medical condition. This program and procedure, which was created by Los Angeles Police Department officers in the 1980's, has been scientifically validated, and has been accepted in many courts throughout the United States. 

I welcome any efforts to expand the availability of DRE officers. These officers are truly the front-line in combating drug-impaired driving. 

Thomas E. Page
Drug Recognition Expert Emeritus
Retired, Los Angeles Police Department