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!