Yes. In Tasmania, people with a valid prescription have a legal defence to the ‘presence’ offence, meaning they can drive when unimpaired. Several countries, including the UK, Germany, and Ireland, also have medical exemptions or impairment-based systems. These approaches have not led to an increase in road trauma

There’s been confusion about Victoria’s recent change. Despite some public claims, medicinal cannabis patients in Victoria are still banned from driving with any detectable THC in their system. The only change is that magistrates now have discretion, for a first offence only, to waive the automatic licence disqualification – something NSW magistrates already have. In practice, patients can still be charged, lose their licence while awaiting court, have their cars impounded, and face thousands in costs, even if the magistrate later returns their licence. The harms remain.

Laws work best when they’re fair and targeted. Punishing responsible drivers undermines trust and wastes resources. Education about impairment and responsible use is a more effective way to keep roads safe.

There’s no evidence that testing for THC residue alone improves road safety. Responsible patients who are safe to drive already do so every day without causing increased crashes.

Police already have procedures to check medicinal cannabis prescriptions in other situations. The only barrier for roadside stops is the Road Transport Act’s blanket THC offence. If that restriction is removed, police can simply use the same existing training and systems to check prescriptions during roadside stops, just as they already do in other situations.

Doctors and health authorities already have safeguards to detect and address fraud. NSW Police already have standard operating procedures to identify legitimate prescriptions for any medication, and specific procedures for checking medical cannabis prescriptions. Road laws should focus solely on keeping impaired drivers off the road, not policing medical legitimacy.

Medicinal cannabis prescribing is tightly regulated in Australia, with medical oversight and official approvals. If misuse happens, that’s a health regulation issue – not a reason to punish genuine patients through road laws. We don’t take away medicines from all patients because a few might abuse the system.

Absolutely not. Driving impaired by any substance – cannabis, alcohol, or anything else – is never acceptable. That’s why this reform keeps strict impairment laws in place. Research does not show that the mere presence of THC increases crash risk. There is no evidence of increased road trauma caused by THC residue once the impairment window has passed, and no coronial reports linking THC presence alone to causing crashes. For perspective, driving after less than six hours’ sleep or being over 75 years old carries comparable or higher risks.

International evidence shows no link between legal medicinal cannabis programs and increased road fatalities. Real-world crash risk comes from impairment – just like with alcohol or fatigue. Presence-based laws don’t improve safety because they target people who aren’t impaired.

No. THC residue in saliva is not the same as impairment. Roadside tests can detect it days or even weeks after use, long after any effect on driving has passed. The science is clear: the mere presence of THC does not reliably predict crash risk.

We share her grief. No one should lose a loved one because someone chose to drive impaired. That’s why we fully support effective laws against driving under the influence. But the current NSW law doesn’t measure impairment at all – it punishes people days after any effect has worn off. Real safety means targeting and removing impaired drivers, not banning responsible patients from the road.

No. This reform keeps strong laws against driving while impaired. It simply means responsible patients with a valid medicinal cannabis prescription can keep driving when they are unimpaired, just like people prescribed any other medicine. Safety remains the priority.

We agree. No one should drive under the influence of any drug. This reform keeps strong laws against impaired driving in place. It simply ends the blanket ban that punishes unimpaired, responsible patients using legally prescribed medicine.

If you think you or someone you’re with has overdosed, immediately call 000 for help.

If you have naloxone, use it, and remember it can wear off quickly so you may need multiple doses.

If someone stops breathing, administer CPR. If they are breathing put them in the recovery position – on their side with their mouth open to the ground.

Seek immediate medical attention.

Signs to look for if you suspect an opioid overdose:

• Pinpointed pupils⁠.
• Difficulty speaking or walking.
• Drowsiness.⁠
• Loss of consciousness.⁠
• Slow breathing/snoring.⁠
• Skin turning blue (if light-skinned) or grey (if dark-skinned)⁠.

Naloxone is a life-saving medicine that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. Naloxone is available in a very easy-to-use nasal spray and as a pre-filled injection.

You can get naloxone for free without a prescription in NSW from some pharmacies, needle and syringe programs and opioid treatment services.

Visit Your Room to find your nearest pharmacy that can give you naloxone, or order from NUAA at shop.nuaa.org.au or call (02) 9171 6650.

Knowing nitazenes are out there and being used to cut other drugs, be extra careful if you or people you know are taking drugs.

• Don’t use drugs alone.
• Tell your friends what you think you’re taking
• Be extra careful if mixing different drugs.
• If you’re using a new batch, start small.

The testing is conducted by expert chemists and health professionals to ensure precision, providing you with reliable results. Drug checking already operates in 28+ countries around the world and technology used has been validated through rigorous field testing.

No, people are already taking drugs. Drug checking provides information for harm reduction, not endorsement. It’s about making informed choices and keeping people safe.

While festivals are a focus because they’re places where lots of people will be taking drugs, often in hot, exposed conditions, we know that people also take drugs in a range of other settings. So we want the government to set up fixed site drug checking services for people to be able to get their drugs checked at any point.

Drug checking operates globally, including in nearly 30 countries. From New Zealand, to the UK, to the US, drug checking has been helping people stay safe for 30 years. It’s been running in Canberra for over a year, and will be helping people in Queensland by the end of the year. It’s endorsed by health professionals and has a proven track record.

It empowers people who are planning on taking drugs to make informed decisions to manage their own wellbeing. It also gives people access to expert health advice about taking drugs which can be very hard to access otherwise. This helps to reduce the chance of overdose deaths. Plus, it allows everyone to have a better understanding of what’s in drugs circulating in the community, meaning we can get more timely warnings when there’s bad batches floating around.

In a word, yes. Pill testing is the more commonly used name, but it implies that we can only test pills. We know that drugs come in many other forms and drug checking can test all of them for strength and purity

Drug checking is a harm reduction service that helps people who are planning on taking drugs know what they’re really taking. People can bring their drugs to be tested and talk to an expert about the strength and purity of what they’ve got, as well as get advice on how best to manage the risks

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