An independent MP likely to face court after allegedly testing positive to cannabis in a roadside test says he wasn't driving "whacked up" and the incident was bad timing.
Craig Garland, who holds a balance-of-power position in Tasmania's parliament, was pulled over by police in the state's northwest on Saturday amid a safety blitz.
Mr Garland said he was also found with a "few specs" of the drug in a tobacco pouch.
Tasmania Police confirmed a 60-year-old man would be summonsed to court after a positive drug test and quantities of a controlled substance were found in his car.
Mr Garland, who says he hasn't been charged, said he returned a positive result from a tongue-scrape test and was awaiting results of a secondary saliva test.
"I assume that’ll test positive for THC (cannabis) and I’ll get a summons and have to appear in court," he said on Friday.
Mr Garland, who was on a fishing trip, said he doesn't plan to contest the matter and that he had a smoke the night before.
He said he uses cannabis on-and-off for pain relief, particularly for the ongoing effects of a broken leg, but doesn't have a medical prescription.
"I've smoked for quite a long time. I didn't leave it long enough before I drove but I didn’t think it would be a problem," he said.
"I'm not driving around whacked up or pissed (drunk). I guess you put it down to bad timing and bad management I guess.
"I don't consider it impairing at all. It might be if you sit there and have 40 cones and whack a few beers in, but not if you’re having a little one ... every now and then."
Mr Garland, who was elected at the March state election, is one of five crossbench independents in a parliament where the Liberals govern in minority.
He has spoken out against industrial salmon farming and pushed for greater political transparency and accountability.
He said he would seek a prescription and hoped for a conversation about how medicinal cannabis is regulated.
"I got a text message ... saying people who voted for me know that I have used it on-and-off. It’s not a big deal," he said.
"Some people will probably be a little bit concerned with it but generally I don’t think it is a big issue for people that supported me.
"I think there would be a lot of people keen to have a discussion about how we approach this as an issue."
