LILLIAN'S law has moved a step closer to becoming a reality after a bill containing a new drug driving offence achieved royal assent.
The Crime and Courts Bill has passed through Parliament and now becomes an act.
Secondary legislation will now have to be brought forward to define the substances and legal limits of the drugs which will covered by the new law.
Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell, who has supported the campaign since it was launched in August 2011, described the Queen's approval as a symbolic but important development.
"It's really pleasing. What needs to happen now is for the various bits of legislation within the bill to be enacted," he said.
"There were elements of the bill – not to do with Lillian's law – which were ping-ponging between the Commons and the Lords, and I was concerned that might hold things up. Thankfully, that's not happened.
"It's an important, symbolic step. It means it's on the statute book and we're still keeping to the timetable.
"The next stage is that secondary legislation will have to be brought forward, containing details of the substances and the limits."
The penalty for the new offence will be a maximum of six months in prison and a fine of up to £5,000, with an automatic driving ban of at least 12 months.
It removes the current need for police to prove a substance impaired a person's ability to drive, done by dated balance and co-ordination tests.
Royal assent is the latest boost for the Lillian's law campaign, led by the family of 14-year-old Lillian Groves, who was knocked down and killed outside her home in New Addington in June 2010.
The driver, John Page, had been smoking cannabis prior to the tragedy.
Michaela Groves, Lillian's aunt, said: "We have to remind ourselves, this is just a stage along the process.
"It hasn't taken a long time to get to where it needs to be which is encouraging.
"They have been talking about it for nearly 15 years and now, all of a sudden, it has come along leaps and bounds.
"It's fantastic that we have been able to put something so important on the map."
In December 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron promised to revise the law, following a meeting with Lillian's family and the Advertiser at 10 Downing Street.
Last month, an expert panel set up by the Department for Transport (DfT), tasked with exploring the implications of the new offence, recommended adopting legal limits for substances such as cannabis and cocaine.
It also suggested as stricter controls for people who drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and thresholds for prescription drugs like sleeping pills.
These details now need to placed on the statute book via secondary legislation, which is expected late this year or in early 2014.
A testing device, a key aim of the campaign, was approved by the Home Office for use in police stations from January and, the Government says, will be used by the roadside by 2014.
