RE: The Inefficiency In Using Drug Field Tests
My strangest field test occurred in the South Island, New Zealand 9am, somewhere in the vicinity of Greymouth (if memory serves). Yeah, 9am (on a frikin Tuesday) as my wife and I are driving along in our campervan about as touristy as you get. It was a mundane procedure, perform by a half-awake cop on a Tuesday morning.
Clearly the cops weren't attempting to catch people on the party scene. I doubt there is a big problem with drunk tourists roaming around Greymouth on a Tuesday morning. Most likely there is a substance problem in the area and the roadblock was looking to catch anyone/everyone in the area to push them through the legal meatgrinder in some half-ass attempt to resolve an issue.
I couldn't help but think to myself, "if there is a substance abuse problem in the area, wouldn't it be better to assist with some programs, some rehabilitation, something, ANYTHING, other than beating already compromised people down just a little bit more...make their precarious situation just a little bit more untenable."
I don't know, municipalities (around the globe) seem to think that the police are the fix-all to every problem.