Under Polish law and related regulations, the Decree of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare specifies that a person who collects blood for the purpose of determining the amount of alcohol currently in a person’s body must be a physician or a member of the medical staff of a public health unit or detoxification detention center. The latter individual must have a physician’s order authorizing the taking of a blood sample. Poland’s Road Traffic Law allows the blood testing of drivers for alcohol content in the body without the driver’s consent. Still, a physician must be involved in the decision to take a blood sample, given the possibility that blood collection could constitute a threat to health or life for particular individuals. Evaluation of the health state of a patient as well as the threat to health and life linked to blood collection is a basic professional skill of every physician, regardless of his/her medical specialization. The only other condition under which a physician might refuse to take a blood sample from a nonconsenting person for evidence collection authorized by law is when the individual’s physical resistance cannot be overcome to the point that the blood sample can be safely taken. 7 references