Published: 15 December 2025

Safety Information

Alert communication

Amended legislation about medicines that can impair driving


15 December 2025

2025 Amendment
Advice for drivers
Advice for healthcare professionals
Further information
Useful links for information about medicines and driving

It is against the law to drive while impaired. Taking alcohol and drugs (including some medicines) can seriously impair your ability to drive.

The Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Act 2022, came into force in 2023, to further deter drug driving. The recent amendments, Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Act 2025 , enable New Zealand Police to roll out roadside drug driving testing. The aim is to reduce the number of road traffic accidents.

Note that in this legislation, 'drugs' refers to both illicit substances and medicines.

2025 Amendment

With the 2025 amendment, police will be able to randomly stop any motor vehicle for the driver to undergo a roadside drug test that screens the driver's saliva for THC (cannabis), methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy) and cocaine. 

If the drug screening test is positive, the driver must provide a saliva sample to be sent for laboratory testing and repeat the drug screening test. If the second screening test is also positive, the driver is forbidden to drive for 12 hours.

The saliva sample sent to the laboratory will be tested for all the 'listed qualifying drugs' included in Schedule 5 (see below). If this test is positive, an infringement notice will be issued to the driver, which will include a fine and licence demerit points.

The roadside drug driving testing is an addition to other tools used by the police to check for alcohol or drug driving.

Advice for drivers

  • Always take your medicine as prescribed.
  • Some medicines can impair your ability to drive by causing symptoms such as dizziness, concentration difficulties, mania, confusion, hallucinations, convulsions, visual disorders, as well as drowsiness and sedation.
  • Medicines that can impair driving include some pain relievers, sleeping aids, antidepressants, medicines used in epilepsy, allergy, eye conditions, diet pills, cold and flu medicines and some heart medicines. Ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if your medicine can impair driving.
  • Some medicines have been identified as having the highest risk to road safety and are included in new legislation. Check if your medicine is in Schedule 5.
  • Do not drive if your medicine affects you. Check if you have any symptoms before getting into your vehicle.
  • Some medicines may only affect you at the start of treatment or if the dose is changed. Other medicines may affect you as long as you are taking them, so you will need to try an alternative medicine if you need to drive.
  • You are likely to be impaired if you take more medicine than has been prescribed or use drugs and medicines in combination with each other or with alcohol.
  • Some medicines that are available without a prescription can also impair driving. Check the medicine package to see if there is a warning about driving or ask the pharmacist.
  • Se the links below to find out about medicines and driving. Ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for advice if needed.

Advice for healthcare professionals

  • Please discuss with your patients whether their medicines (both prescription and over the counter) could impair driving.
  • Advise patients to check whether they have any side effects that could impair driving, and not to drive if these occur.
  • Check section 4.7 of the medicine data sheet for the effects of a medicine on driving.
  • Find the prescription medicines currently included in Schedule 5 below.

Further information

Schedule 5 was introduced in the 2022 amendment of the Land Transport Act 1998 and contains 25 'listed qualifying drugs' (4 illicit drugs and 21 prescription medicines) for which blood concentration levels are measured to determine drug-driving offence. These drugs have been identified by an independent panel as having the highest risk to road safety.

With the 2025 amendment, saliva tests sent to laboratory analysis will be tested for presence of the same 'listed qualifying drugs'. A positive test primarily results in an infringement notice.

If a qualifying drug is identified, a medical defence is available for the use of prescription medicines for drug driving infringement offences:

  • if the driver can demonstrate that they took the medicine according to a current and valid prescription from health practitioner, and
  • they have followed any instructions from a health practitioner or manufacturer of the medicine.

Note that a driver can only apply for a medical defence once an infringement has been issued - not roadside.

More information about medical defence is available in the links below.

Regardless of whether a medicine is included in Schedule 5 or not, driving while impaired is illegal.

Useful links for information about medicines and driving

Medsafe website

  • Data sheets and Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) search - all prescription medicines and restricted (pharmacist-only) medicines have a data sheet, and most of them also have a CMI. These are published on the Medsafe website on behalf of pharmaceutical companies. The CMI is the main information source for consumers. You can also refer to section 4.7 of the medicine's data sheet, which contains information about effects on driving.
  • Can I drive while taking medicines? - general information about medicines and driving.

New Zealand Police

Health Navigator

  • Driving and road safety - describes some health conditions and medicines that can affect driving. One of the sections (Driving and medicines) is described below.
  • Driving and medicines - contains both general and medicine-specific information. Here you can read about which medicines are most likely to affect driving, symptoms of impairment, when and how long to avoid driving and why you should not stop taking medicines or alter the dose so you can drive. A special 'Heavy transport and medication' section is included.

Waka Kotahi / NZ Transport Agency

  • Medication includes sections about how medicines can affect driving, checking for symptoms of impairment, risks of mixing substances and what to do if your medicine affects you.

New Zealand Formulary (NZF)

The NZF has information for healthcare professionals on medicines and driving.

  • For a specific medicine, see the 'Caution' or 'Patient advice' sections within the medicine monograph. Printable patient information leaflets are often available.
  • General guidance about drugs and driving is also available.

For questions, please contact: communications@health.govt.nz

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