TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Prevalence of drugs in injured drivers in Victoria, Australia
JO  - Australian journal of forensic sciences
A1  - DiRago, Matthew
A1  - Gerostamoulos, Dimitri
A1  - Morris, Carla
A1  - Fredericksen, Tania
A1  - Woodford, Noel W.
A1  - Drummer, Olaf H.
SP  - 166
EP  - 180
VL  - 53
IS  - 2
N2  - This study documents the prevalence of positive tests for alcohol and a large number of drugs in drivers taken to Victorian hospitals for injuries over a five-year period. Blood specimens were collected from 5000 injured drivers shortly after arrival to a hospital and were subject to comprehensive toxicological analyses using a validated LC-MS/MS technique. Alcohol was present in 15.8% of drivers and drugs capable of causing impairment were present in 38.7% of all drivers with methylamphetamine the most prevalent illicit drug (12.8%), followed by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, 11.1%). Motor-cyclists had the highest prevalence of THC (24.1%). 3,4-Methylenedioxy-methylamphetamine (MDMA) was present in 1.3% of all drivers while cocaine or one of its metabolites was present in only 0.8%. The heroin metabolite, 6-acetyl-morphine, was detected in one case, although the majority of heroin users were likely to be only positive to morphine. Benzodiazepines were present in 11.9% of drivers. While morphine (24.8%) and ketamine (4.5%) were detected in many drivers their presence from possible medical use could not be excluded. Opioids, other than morphine, were largely made up of codeine (3.8%) and oxycodone (2.4%).    Keywords: Cannabis impaired driving<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0045-0618
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00450618.2019.1687753
ID  - ref1
ER  -