Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Ombudsman urges Health Ministry to make a list of medicines affecting drug test results

Diana Kovacheva
Photo: BGNES

Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva has submitted a recommendation to the Ministry of Health to publish a list of medications which give a false positive on drug tests for drivers.  

Prof. Kovacheva cites as her motive the fact that taking medicines from several pharmacological groups could affect the result of a drug test. The Ombudsman points out that even small concentrations of these medicines could bear a resemblance to banned narcotic substances, and that this is public knowledge. Analgesics, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic medicines, as well as anti-depressants and other over-the-counter medications are all medicines of this kind. Ombudsman Kovacheva says that when a driver is given a drug test on the road, this means equating someone who has taken cough medicine with someone who has deliberately taken a narcotic substance. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Temperatures up to 15C and cloudy

Cloudy skies are expected across the country on Tuesday , with scattered rain in western Bulgaria. There will be light east-southeast winds, moderate in eastern Bulgaria. Lows will be between 5°C and 10°C, around 7°C in Sofia. Maximum temperatures will..

published on 4/14/25 7:05 PM

Bulgarian and Turkish Chief Prosecutors meet in Sofia

The Bulgarian and Turkish Chief Prosecutors, Borislav Sarafov and Muhsin Şentürk, held an official meeting in the Court House in Sofia . This is Muhsin Şentürk's first official visit to Bulgaria since taking office and follows the visit of a delegation..

published on 4/14/25 2:49 PM
Minister of Labour and Social Policy Borislav Gutsanov

Shadow economy 24% in Bulgaria, says Social Affairs Minister

Bulgarians, especially young people, need to understand that it is essential to have an employment contract to protect their labour rights, Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov said in Varna. He noted that the informal economy in..

published on 4/14/25 2:40 PM