Drug driving penalties

It's an offence in the Northern Territory (NT) to drive if you have a prohibited drug in your body, measured by police using a saliva or blood test.

Police can direct you to submit to a saliva or blood test in any of the following situations:

  • you are pulled over to submit an alcohol breath test
  • you are pulled over for the purpose of a random saliva test for drugs
  • the officer believes you have committed an offence of driving with a drug in your body or driving under influence of alcohol or a drug
  • the officer reasonably suspects you have been involved in a crash on a road, road-related area or public place.

A second offence for drug driving is when you have in the past been found guilty of:

  • driving under the influence of alcohol - read about drink driving penalties
  • driving under the influence of a prohibited drug
  • failing to submit a saliva test for the purpose of detecting whether a prohibited drug is present in your body
  • failing to submit a blood or breath test for analysis for the presence of alcohol in your body.

Prohibited drug in body

Minimum licence disqualification

Maximum fine amount

Maximum term of imprisonment

First offence

N/A

$400 traffic infringement notice

or

Court ordered fine of 5 penalty units

3 months

Second offence

3 months

$400 traffic infringement notice

or

Court ordered fine of 7.5 penalty units

6 months

Subsequent offence

6 months

$400 traffic infringement notice

or

Court ordered fine of 7.5 penalty units

6 months

To find out more about penalty units and other offences read traffic offences and penalties.

For full details on the penalties read the Traffic Act 1987.


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