UN Urges Random Drug Tests for Drivers

Antonio Maria Costa, The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime or UNODC, talks during a press conference in the 14th Mayors Conference hosted by European Cities Against Drugs or ECAD in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, May 10, 2007. ECAD is the leading organization for promoting a drug-free Europe. Representing mayors in 250 municipalities located in 27 countries, ECAD works to eliminate the production, trafficking and abuse of illegal drugs in Europe, based on the United Nations drug conventions. (AP Photo/Serkan Senturk) (Serkan Senturk - AP)

VIENNA, Austria -- Ordinary drivers and workers who operate heavy equipment or do other hazardous jobs should be subject to random drug tests similar to the spot checks police in some countries now conduct for alcohol, the head of the U.N. drug office said Thursday.

"Road testing works for alcohol _ it will work for drugs," Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the Vienna-based U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, told an international mayors' conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

"Public opinion is waking up to the fact that some people are driving cars, public transport, operating heavy machinery or even flying airplanes while on drugs," Costa said, praising efforts under way in Australia, Britain, the United States and some EU countries to stop it.

In the U.S., the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires commercial truck drivers to pass alcohol and drug tests before they can obtain or renew a license. States such as Oregon conduct periodic random drug tests on truckers, and some school districts carry out similar checks on school bus drivers.

Australian authorities who suspect a motorist may be under the influence of narcotics use a swab to collect a sample of saliva and use a kit to check it for drugs such as cannabis or methamphetamine.

British law allows police to conduct roadside drug impairment tests. Britain's latest high-profile case was on Tuesday, when singer George Michael pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while unfit through drugs.

But civil libertarians have challenged random testing, contending it can be an unconstitutional invasion of privacy and is subject to abuse by police who stop drivers without just cause.

Costa brushed off such objections, saying society already accepts police controls for alcohol intoxication.

Costa also urged countries to improve their drug treatment and rehabilitation services.

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U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, http://www.unodc.org