A drug driving penalty will usually result in a ban of 12-36 months, community service or a six-months prison sentence.

But since the introduction of new drug driving laws in 2015, the police and CPS have had practical problems enforcing them. A lot of police forces still don’t have the right drug kits for roadside tests and many police officers have never been trained to use the tests properly. So a lot of drug driving charges are based on procedures that weren’t carried out properly – meaning the charges won’t stand up to scrutiny in court.

If you’ve been released under investigation and are waiting for your results

Your barrister might be able to force the police to take no further action. If there were early errors in the police procedure, the case against you can collapse immediately.

If you’ve had a ‘postal requisition’

Most drug driving cases start this way. It means you’ll spend a period of time under investigation or on police bail. Some cases can take months to reach court – this is your opportunity to prepare a defence. With the right advice you might be able to stop the police laying charges.