One third of Slovaks aged 15-34 have experience with marijuana, and 9.3 percent of respondents took marijuana in 2016, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction found in 2017. (source: TASR)
Psychiatrist Michal Patarák from the F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica, central Slovakia who works with people who have had their driving licenses taken away for marijuana use has noticed that the police seem to be increasingly detecting drugs other than alcohol remaining in the bodies of drivers.
“These cases may have occurred in the last two months, and my colleagues from the Banská Bystrica region have had a similar experience,” Patarák said.
If a police officer suspects a driver is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, they take away their driving license. The officer also decides whether the driver needs to be examined for addiction. This is assessed by a psychiatrist. If they find the person is addicted, the police do not return the driving license to the owner.
