2007: Testing the Drugwipe Twin
Test Date: 10th February , 2007
The HEMP Embassy purchased a number of Drugwipe Twin saliva tests, as used by the NSW Iemmabago. They cost around $40 each. We tested them over a range of conditions, and got contradictory results. There was not a consistent time after smoking for either positive or negative results. Eating or drinking after smoking had no apparent effect on the result. Hydro had 3 positives & 1 negative, Good Bush had 4 positives & 2 negatives, while plain Bush had 5 positives & 1 negative. The Hash Chocolate subject tested negative, despite the subject saying they were “off their tits”.
One subject smoked three times for three separate tests, made over a period of 165 minutes, and came up negative for the last one, while another subject smoker proved negative for the second of three tests conducted over 95 minutes. A subject tested positive immediately after smoking, while another proved negative after 5 minutes. Another subject tested positive after 375 minutes (6 hours 15 minutes), but there were also two subjects that tested negative after 245 minutes (4 hours 5 minutes) and 360 minutes (6 hours). One subject was positive at 10 minutes, but negative after 65 minutes, while another was positive at 32 minutes, but negative at 65 minutes. This made it impossible to give a clear window of vulnerability.
It is possible that some smokers might still test positive 6 hours or more after smoking, while others with a different metabolism will test negative 5 or 20 minutes after.
The general conclusion was that the Drugwipe Twin testing devices did not achieve their claimed 90% cannabis detection rate. Within the context of our small sample, we felt 50 to 60% was closer to the mark.
TABLE KEY:
Smoker Type: L = Light, R = Regular, H = Heavy
Cannabis Type: G = Good, B = Bush, H = Hash
Test Result: P = Positive, N = Negative
Group One:
| Test Subject Number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Sex | M | M | M | M | F | M | M |
| Age | 58 | 37 | 47 | 65 | 58 | 50 | 47 |
| Weight (kg) | 80 | 75 | 70 | 62 | 90 | 95 | 70 |
| Smoker Type | H | H | H | L | H | H | H |
| Daily Use | 2gram | 4gram | 10gram | 0.5gram | 20gram | 4gram | 10gram |
| Today’s Use | 0.5gram | 2gram | 7grm/1gr | 0 | 6gram | 1gram | 7grm/1grm |
| Cannabis Type | GB | GB | GB/GH | – | HYDRO | B | GB/GH |
| Time Last Smoked | 10:00am | 10:30am | 1:55pm | 6:pm yesterday | 2:15pm | 2:45pm | 3:15pm |
| Test Cannabis Type | B | GB | HYDRO | B | HYDRO | B | HYDRO |
| Quantity | 0.5gm | 1joint | 1joint | 2cones | 1joint | 1joint | 1joint |
| Subsequent Food/Drink | Juice 1:00pm | Pie Water 1:00pm | water | nil | 200ml water | 500ml iced coffee | milk |
| Test Smoke Time | 2:00pm | 10:30am | 2:25pm | 2:30pm | 2:15pm | 2:45pm | 3:15pm |
| Test Time | 2:10pm | 2:35pm | 2:30pm | 2:40pm | 3:10pm | 3:10pm | 3:23pm |
| Time Difference | 10mins | 245mins | 5mins | 10mins | 55mins | 25mins | 8mins |
| How Stoned R U (Test Smoke Time) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| How Stoned R U (Test Time) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Test Result | P | N | P | P | N | N | P |
Group Two:
| Test Subject Number | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Sex | M | F | M | M | F | M | M |
| Age | 65 | 40 | 47 | 58 | 40 | 58 | 53 |
| Weight (kg) | 62 | 65 | 70 | 80 | 65 | 80 | 80 |
| Smoker Type | L | H | H | L | H | H | L |
| Daily Use | 0.5gram | 3gram | 10gram | 2gram | 3gram | 2gram | 1.5gram |
| Today’s Use | 2cone | 1cone | 7grm/1gr | 0.5gram | 1cone | 0.5gram | 1gram |
| Cannabis Type | B | B | GB/GH | GB | B | GB | B |
| Time Last Smoked | 6:00pm yesterday | 10:00am | 3:45pm | 10:00am | 10:00am | 10:00am | 4:15pm |
| Test Cannabis Type | B | HASH CHOCS | HYDRO | B | HASH CHOCS | B | B |
| Quantity | 2cone | 1 | 1joint | 0.5gram | 1 | 1joint | 1joint |
| Subsequent Food/Drink | Nil | Beef Roll Cup Tea | Nil | Coffee | Coffee | Banana | Bounty Bar |
| Test Smoke Time | 2:30pm | 2:20pm | 3:45pm | 10:00am | 2:20pm | 4:40pm | 4:35pm |
| Test Time | 3:35pm | 3:45pm | 3:50pm | 4:15pm | 4:25pm | 4:45pm | 4:45pm |
| Time Difference | 65mins | 85mins | 5mins | 375mins | 125mins | 5mins | 10mins |
| How Stoned R U (Test Smoke Time) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| How Stoned R U (Test Time) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Test Result | N | N | P | P | N | N | P |
Group Three:
| Test Subject Number | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| Sex | M | M | M | F | M | M | F |
| Age | 42 | 42 | 50 | 48 | 46 | 50 | 40 |
| Weight (kg) | 100 | 100 | 70 | 60 | 84 | 80 | 65 |
| Smoker Type | R | R | H | H | H | L | H |
| Daily Use | 2gram | 2gram | 20gram | 4gram | 24gram | 1gram | 3gram |
| Today’s Use | 1gram | 1gram | 15gram | 3gram | 12gram | 2gram | 1gram |
| Cannabis Type | GB | GB | GB | GB | GB | GB | B |
| Time Last Smoked | 4:15pm | 4:15pm | NA | 5:40:pm | 6:00pm | 4:15pm | 10:00am |
| Test Cannabis Type | GB | GB | GB | B | GB | GB | HASH CHOC |
| Quantity | 1joint | 1joint | 1joint | 1joint | 1joint | 2joints | 1 |
| Subsequent Food/Drink | nil | nil | banana | apple cider vinegar | chewing gum | water coffee fruit rescue remedy | grapes |
| Test Smoke Time | 4:15pm | 4:15pm | 5:30pm | 5:40pm | 6:00pm | 4:15pm | 2:20pm |
| Test Time | 4:45pm | 5:17pm | 5:35pm | 6:00pm | 6:15pm | 4:15pm | 6:25pm |
| Time Difference | 30mins | 62mins | 5mins | 20mins | 15mins | 0mins | 245mins |
| How Stoned R U (Test Smoke Time) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| How Stoned R U (Test Time) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Test Result | P | N | P | P | P | P | N |
NOTES:
Test Subject No2 also took .08grams of MDMA at midnight prior to the testing date. At 2:25pm on the test day the subect rated his MDMA intoxication at 2, on a scale of 1 to 5. At 2:35pm he tested negative.
Test Subjects 1, 11 & 13 are the same person.
Test Subjects 3, 7 & 10 are the same person.
Test Subjects 9, 12 & 21 are the same person.
Test Subjects 15 & 16 are the same person.
Test Subjects 4 & 8 are the same person.
Michael’s View:
SALIVA DRIBBLE.
Members of the Nimbin H*E*M*P* Embassy recently trialled some of the new roadside saliva Securetec Drugwipes, to be used by the NSW police Winnebago crew. Made in Germany, they are the same wipes used by the Victorian Police, with results which have been very questionable.
“We also understand the new NSW saliva testing crew is having teething troubles,” said Michael Balderstone, president of the Embassy.
“The Drugwipes are very expensive at $40 each, so we only bought one box of 25 to try,” he said. “From these limited results we can only conclude, as reports like ROSITA have said, there is a high failure rate with these devices. We could find no consistency in the results.”
“We assume they must have known all along these Drugwipe tests don’t work properly on cannabis. As the European research has also shown, once again the complexity of the cannabis plant has baffled the chemists. The Drugwipe Twin tests we tried were unpredictable, with some very stoned people registering negative, and some mildly stoned testing positive. It would have been good to test non-users to see if false readings came up.
Conclusion. “Cannabis users are again being falsely targeted. There is no discussion of levels (like with alcohol .05%).This very limited testing (for just cannabis and methamphetamine) is once again painting the relatively harmless cannabis user as the problem, further encouraging chemical drug use. You’d think the “Ice Age” might cause people to rethink prohibition, but there’s no sign of it”, said Michael Balderstone.
“There is some research floating around that recorded the types of drugs found in drivers’ blood following motor vehicle accidents. Because cannabis stays in the bloodstream for so long, way after the effects have worn off, in fact up to three months after use, it is easily detected. So of course the compulsory car accidents blood testing came up with a high incidence of cannabis. This research does not record whether or not the driver was impaired at the time – it just records the presence of the drug. Since then, politicians have deliberately misrepresented the data including using it to justify introducing saliva testing in Victoria, South Australia and now NSW.”
At the moment the Embassy is waiting to trial a computer driving skill test which is not one just looking for “the presence of drugs”.These tests can more accurately determine if a driver is impaired after consuming any drug, suffering an illness that may affect their ability to drive or having an emotional meltdown that affects their driving.
The Nimbin H*E*M*P* Embassy is holding a Saliva-Driva Info Stall at MardiGrass on the 5th and 6th May, and maybe some Drug wipes if anyone wants to pay $40 to try them out. If possible, the stall will offer the computer driving skill test in the Embassy’s Mobile Unit, M.U.N.C.H. – Monitoring Unfair Nimbin Cannabis Hype!