I need to have a medical examination, as part of it I need to provide a urine sample for drug screening. Why do I have to do this even though I told them it's been a year and a half since I last used any cannabis?

 

What else does the examination involve? And do they really watch you pee?

Start your own thread....

I need to have a medical examination, as part of it I need to provide a urine sample for drug screening. Why do I have to do this even though I told them it's been a year and a half since I last used any cannabis?

Perhaps it is their experience that drug users have been known to lie about when they last used drugs, leading to them not being able to trust even those who say “it’s been over a year”.....

What else does the examination involve? And do they really watch you pee?

I don’t know if they actually watch you, but I expect they either do that or find some other way to ensure the sample they test is from you, and hasn’t been switched with someone else’s “clean” sample.

You need to stop expecting them to act as if they can rely on you being open and honest, and expect them to act as some people force them to act : that some people will try and cheat the system.

Start your own thread....

Whose thread do you think it is?

and how long is this going to take? I suppose if I make the appt as soon as they can give me one then from now until the day they make the decision it could be another month or two months?

Whose thread do you think it is?

D’oh. My bad!

Up to 18 weeks from when they have all the relevant reports in.

Even that is a target, rather than an absolute limit.

It is influenced by the complexity of the case, and when they get all the reports in.

It's now over 6 months since I submitted my application.

Which they’ll say is irrelevant, since their 18 week target only starts when they have all the reports in.

Back in Oct they sent me a letter saying I had "suffered a medical condition (drug abuse)". So why not just send me for drug screening back then?

My GP hasn't helped matters either, on one form she sent back to the DVLA she actually left a page of questions blank. So then the DVLA had to write back to her with the same form.

And I really don't like their way of wording things. A year and a half ago I went through a phase of having some cannabis edibles to relax and because of that I've "suffered drug abuse"?

I rarely drink alcohol (yes alcohol is also a drug) yet look at all the people in England who abuse alcohol every other day of the week and either end up arrested or in A+E due to how they behave whilst drunk which is surely a lot more harmful than using cannabis responsibly at home in your own time?

I don’t disagree, but as yet cannabis remains illegal, and alcohol legal (but both drink driving and drunk driving are illegal).

That said, complaining isn’t likely to get them to adopt a less stringent attitude to drink or drug users, and “high-risk” alcohol offenders have also posted to CAG saying they don’t get an easy ride.

What exactly will happen at this medical?

All it says is I may have to get undressed and I need to provide a urine sample for drug screening.

Is there just one medical for everyone? ie will I basically be given the same medical that's given to those reapplying after being disqualified for drink driving?

My letter doesn't say "high risk offender" (something I see online a lot) anywhere on it. Does this mean there are 2 medical tests? One for high risk offenders and another for everyone else? Or can they be tailored for each individual?

Why are you so worried about a simple fitness to drive medical? You’re not going to fail. You’ve given up drugs. Right?

My letter doesn't say "high risk offender" (something I see online a lot) anywhere on it. Does this mean there are 2 medical tests? One for high risk offenders and another for everyone else?

High risk offender usually relates to drink driving, based on a single particularly high reading, or multiple offences

https://www.gov.uk/driving-disqualifications/disqualification-for-drink-driving

Why are you so worried about a simple fitness to drive medical? You’re not going to fail. You’ve given up drugs. Right?

 

I don't even think I should have been put on an anti-psychotic at all (I'm not schizophrenic or have psychosis) but every doctor I see always seem to want me on risperidone (I strongly suspect my surgery is visited by drug reps who take the doctors out for meals).

 

Apparently the doctors think risperidone is good for anxiety, but if I really do have anxiety then I'd rather have anxiety than take risperidone, nasty stuff.

The OP hasn’t said what their mental health diagnosis is (they’ve said what it isn’t.......!), but from “the doctors think risperidone is good for anxiety” it seems at least 2 think anxiety is a feature of the OP’s diagnosis/diagnoses, and might that explain why they are anxious / worrying ......?

Just to provide an update and closure for the thread I did finally get my licence back, 7 months after I applied.

Congratulations!.

Did they issue you one until your 70th birthday, or a "medical" one (1, 2, or 3 year medical review)?

1 year until a review.

Which brings me to my next struggle- appealing this so they won't have to write to my doctor every year. Is there any advice/tips/templates on how to go about doing this?

Do I just send one letter addressed to DVLA medical (as requested) telling them I wish to appeal, and one letter to my local court with my argument on why I do not consider my declared medical condition affects my driving and thus writing to my doctor every year isn't needed?

In terms of an appeal to Court:

You can’t appeal the issue of a one year licence.

You could appeal a refusal to issue any licence.

They want to write to my doctor every year because of my "declared medical condition" (something which has no bearing on my ability to drive safely. I am very high functioning autism which affects my social skills only) I wish to appeal the fact they want to keep writing to my doctor yearly.

Is their concern your autism, or your cannabis useage (+/- if your autism has contributed to your cannabis useage .. or risk of further cannabis use ......)

As I've said, the law allows you to appeal at court if they refuse a license. It doesn't allow a court appeal against being given a medical (1,2, or 3 year) licence instead of a licence with a longer validity.

the letter I received tells me I can appeal against the fact they have to write to my doctor every year because of my "declared medical condition" their concern is the fact I told them I had autism.

it's actually been almost 2 years since I last used cannabis anyway and I only used it 4 times.

I don't regret using cannabis but I have big regrets telling anyone I used it you don't get any support and people are really judgemental

- my social worker actually told me "people who use drugs have something missing from their lives".

Who is she to tell me what's "missing" from my life???????

My advice to anyone who uses cannabis

- keep it to yourself and don't tell any mental health professional.

Do I still have time to appeal? Apparently I need a lawyer? And the courts have to receive the appeal before end of next week? I have already written to the DVLA saying I intend to appeal? If I don't go ahead with the appeal the DVLA won't take my licence off me will they?

I'm completely fine but having the DVLA write to my doctor every single year and having form after form and waiting months for the answer puts a lot of stress and strain on me. One of the Qs the doctor has to answer is "is the patient currently engaging and compliant with treatment?". But what if I don't need treatment and therefore not attending any clinic and the doctor answers "no" to that question, would that go against me? Do I need to see a CPN or a psychiatrist or whatever even if I don't need to just so the doctor can say I'm "compliant with treatment"? The letters from DVLA do say I need to be "engaging with treatment" because of my "declared medical condition" which is basically asperger's or very high functioning autism. It's not something I would ever need to see a doctor or whatever for.