New technology helping to crack down on high drivers in Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The Kansas Highway Patrol is using new technology to help detect people driving while high on drugs. The new device, called SoToxa, tests fluids from a person’s mouth and tells troopers what drugs might be in their system.

Trooper Sean Hankins said there are more drug-impaired drivers on Kansas roads than there are alcohol-impaired drivers, but he said they can be hard to detect.

“One of the issues we have in Kansas and this entire country is identifying the drug-impaired driver because the alcohol DUI is the one we’re always very comfortable with,” said Hankins.

SoToxa makes the detection process a little easier.

“As you consume drugs into your blood system, it’s called passive diffusion. The drugs transfer from the blood into the oral fluid,” Trooper Hankins explains.

Here’s how SoToxa works. A person swabs the inside of their mouth to collect the oral fluid. The swab then goes into SoToxa. Five minutes later, the results are in - showing whether any of the six drug families SoToxa tests for are detected.

“We’re checking for amphetamines, methamphetamines, cocaine. We’re also checking for tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana that makes people high. We’re checking for some opiates and some benzodiazepines, some of those mood stabilizers,” said Trooper Hankins.

The ultimate goal, he said, is to keep Kansas streets and highways safe.

“The drug-impaired driver is a little more challenging and any tool that we can have out there to help us evaluate that driver for impairment is a fantastic asset to get an impaired driver off the roadway,” he said.

Currently, 16 SoToxa devices are being tested on Kansas streets. They’re being funded in part by the Kansas Department of Transportation and AAA.

Results from SoToxa devices are not allowed to be used in court proceedings and are only part of an impaired driving investigation. They are also not used to randomly test drivers. Drivers must have other signs of impairment.