New Drug Testing Device Helps with Impaired Drivers

      The Knox County Sheriff’s Department has acquired new technology to protect the public against drug impaired drivers.
      In cooperation with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, the department has obtained a device called SoToxa to help identify drug-impaired drivers.
      SoToxa is a handheld analyzer that uses an oral fluid swab to detect the presence of six kinds of drugs: cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, cannabis, amphetamine, and benzodiazepines.
      It’s like a portable breathalyzer, but instead of testing for traces of alcohol, it detects the presence of drugs.
      The only accurate drug testing has been sending urine or blood samples to a laboratory, which can delay results for days.
      The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has also certified two deputies in phlebotomy allowing them to make blood draws.