Release’s Response to the Department for Transport Consultation – ‘Regulations to specify the drugs and corresponding limits for the new offence of driving with a specified controlled drug in the body above the specified limit’

Release welcomes the opportunity to respond to this Consultation process. Whilst we agree that ensuring road safety is important, from the proposals made in the consultation document it would appear that promotion of the Government’s overall drug strategy is taking priority over road safety issues. This is a continuation of the use of the criminal law to deter drug use despite evidence that this approach does not in fact work. It is also particularly concerning to note that the Department’s preferred option is contrary to the advice and evidence provided by their own expert panel in their report ‘Driving Under the Influence of Drugs’.