Driving under the Influence of Drugs is a Criminal Offence
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, April 2
Driving under the influence of drugs has become a criminal offense in Georgia starting from Monday.
Individuals will face different punishment for driving under the influence of alcohol and under the influence of drugs.
Those found under the influence of drugs, psychotropic, and new psychoactive drugs or substances will be fined or sent to prison for up to one year.
They will also be deprived of their driving licenses for three years.
The patrol police employees have already been retrained and are equipped with modern, Germany-made drug tests, which work with the use of saliva.
If the test approves the drug consumption an individual will be transported for an additional check.
“Making driving under the influence of drugs punishable by the criminal code aims to protect the health and life of people and make traffic more secure,” the ministry says.
The ministry reports that driving under the influence of drugs is a criminal offense in France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Czech, Croatia, Estonia, Romania, Finland, and Sweden.
Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated that driving under the influence of drugs and driving under the influence of alcohol two are “absolutely different offenses.”
He said that the purchase and the sale of drugs are not legal in Georgia.
Gakharia stated that the only thing which might be done in the situation is to make punishment stricter for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is an administrative offense in Georgia.
Parliament approved changes to make driving under the influence of drugs a criminal offense last year.
