Medical defence fast track

Failed a drug test on prescribed medication?

NZ law gives you a statutory medical defence to a drug-driving infringement — section 64, Land Transport Act 1998. If the drug detected came from a medicine you took under a current, valid prescription, and you followed your prescriber's instructions, the notice can be withdrawn. It covers listed qualifying drugs including THC from medicinal cannabis and amphetamine from ADHD medication.

New to roadside saliva testing? Read our plain-English guide to roadside drug testing & the s64 medical defence.

We do the paperwork — you just sign:

Enter your details below. We check the defence for free and give you an honest success estimate.
We fill out the Police medical-defence application for you and let you sign it on-screen (or print & sign).
You attach your prescription and the dispensing-container label and email it to Police — before the due date on the notice.

Important:don't pay the notice. Police can't consider a medical defence once a notice is paid or sent to the Ministry of Justice for collection. The defence is raised afterthe notice is issued — never at the roadside. This covers infringement notices, not criminal impaired-driving charges (if you've been summonsed to court, see a lawyer or Community Law).

Your medication

Your details

These go straight onto your application, so enter them as they should appear to Police.

Full legal name *Date of birthResidential addressContact phoneEmailDriver licence number

Your infringement notice

Notice number *Test date & timeLocationDrug listed on the noticeFee on the noticePayment due date

Your prescription

Medication name *PrescriberClinic / practicePrescribed since

Confirm each statement — these become the declaration on your application

Only tick what is true. False statements to Police are an offence.

I had a current, valid prescription for this medicine from a NZ health practitioner at the time of the test.I took the medicine as prescribed and followed my prescriber's and the manufacturer's instructions.I can attach a copy of my prescription and the label from the container it was dispensed in.I received an infringement notice (a fine) — I am not facing a criminal charge or court summons.

Anything else about your situation? (optional)

Health information you enter here is used to prepare your application and is sent to our AI provider (in the US) to draft supporting wording; it isn't stored on our servers. Share only what you're comfortable including. See our privacy statement.

Your name, notice number, medication and all four confirmations are required — the defence depends on them.