[Hoot Gibson]

I haven't read the article. I just know that pot shows up in your system for about 30 days, or a little more. He could have tested positive, and been completely straight, as far as pot goes. Pot is the subject of this thread. I can smoke a joint today, wreck a car 10 days from now, and if tested, I will show pot in my system, although have no high effects from the pot at wreck time. If you are talking about the swab, it will show in your system for about 24 hours.

Marijuana and hash: 12-24 hours
Cocaine: 1 day
Opiates: Up to 2-3 days
Meth and ecstasy: Up to 2 to 4 days.
Alcohol: 6-12 hours

The swab is less accurate than a blood test and is given in the field because the results are known within 10 minutes. If this guy had smoked a single joint, then it would not have been detectable 10 days later. If he was a regular user and smoked his last joint a week earlier, then the blood test would probably detect THC. The oral swab is less sensitive than a blood or urine test, so you are right that the operator might not have tested positively if he had not smoked a joint for a couple of days.

If the operator is shown to have had a significant amount of either THC or pain killer (especially if he has no prescription for it) in his blood at the time of the accident, then he should never enjoy another day of freedom.