Dräger DrugTest 5000

2019: Use in the American Police

In early August 2019, it became known that the American police began to use the device to instantly determine drug intoxication in drivers. A device called Dräger DrugTest 5000 allows you to evaluate the content of drugs in the body by analyzing a saliva sample.

Police in the United States began to use the device to instantly determine drug intoxication in saliva drivers

In the US, about 30% of all road accidents are related to alcohol and drug use. Until now, however, there was no reliable method for the immediate assessment of drug intoxication. It is known that symptoms of marijuana abuse include blood-filled eyes, euphoria, increased appetite and memory disorders, but all these are only indirect signs.

In some cases, offenders are asked to undergo physical coordination tests, such as when suspected of intoxication, and some law enforcement agencies also have an expert who can be called to the scene to conduct a quick assessment on the road, and then, if necessary, additional tests at the site.

However, the new tool, which became available to the police, allows you to assess the condition of the driver much faster. The developers called it Dräger DrugTest 5000. The device uses a saliva sample to determine its content of narcotic substances, and has already been used effectively at checkpoints in Los Angeles, San Diego and New York, as well as in parts of Arizona and Nevada.

Among other things, Dräger DrugTest 5000 can detect the presence of cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine, amphetamine, methadone and benzodiazepines in the blood, although it is not able to determine their amount. However, these data do not always matter, since sixteen states have laws under which driving while intoxicated is absolutely prohibited at any measurable level of drugs in the blood.^[1]

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