drug-driving-expert-panel-report

1. INTRODUCTION
The main challenge in establishing recommendations for driving under the influence of
psychoactive drugs is the need to provide an easily‐understood and justifiable scientific
rationale for particular drugs being covered by the offence of drug‐driving, whilst
recognising that the evidence base is dynamic and will develop as our knowledge and
understanding increases. The Panel aimed to establish whether there was sufficient
evidence in the scientific literature to be able to determine a relationship between the
use of psychoactive drugs and an effect on driving performance in average members of
the general public.
The terms of reference and the draft legislation defined the Panel’s role to
consider Controlled Drugs (i.e. drug subject to the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act
1971 (the 1971 Act) (Box 1.). The Panel has considered any psychoactive drug classified
as a Controlled Drug under the 1971 Act and scheduled in any one of the 5 schedules to
the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (as amended) (the 2001 Regulations) including
controlled drugs that have no recognised medicinal purpose (i.e. those placed in
Schedule 1 of the 2001 Regulations). However, the focus on ‘psychoactive’ drugs means
the Panel has excluded the drugs in Schedule 4 Part 2 (anabolic steroids) from
consideration.
Schedule 1 drugs and are not usually prescribed (e.g. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
(LSD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component of cannabis) unless
for research or clinical trials under Home Office licence. Schedules 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the
1971 Act include medicines with a formal UK Product Licence (e.g. morphine, codeine‐
containing products) which may be prescribed or sold in a pharmacy (Box 1.1). For such
medicines, the Panel considered those where there is evidence of road safety risk
related to their use. No Controlled Drugs or medicines containing Controlled Drugs are
available over‐the‐counter outside registered pharmacies, so medicines available for
general sales are outside the Panel’s remit.
The Panel has considered Controlled Drugs which are primarily used illicitly or in
the context of misuse and also drugs that are primarily prescribed for the treatment of
medical conditions and where a therapeutic benefit is expected. For both groups the
Panel has looked at the road safety risk associated with their use while driving. The
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