[Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and narcotics]

The National Institute of Forensic Toxicology has registered a large increase in the number of samples from drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol. Illegal and prescribed drugs are detected in an increasing number of cases. In many of these cases, the drugs are combined with alcohol. The most frequent drugs detected in 1992 in addition to alcohol were tetrahydrocannabinol (the psychoactive compound in cannabis) and benzodiazepines, mostly detected at blood concentrations above therapeutic levels. Simultaneous use of different benzodiazepines and use of benzodiazepines in combination with illegal drugs are common. The number of samples containing amphetamine showed a significant increase in 1992 compared with 1991 (an increase of 80%).