A control drive circuit for an electric power tool wherein the electric power tool includes a power supply unit and a brushless or a DC motor, and wherein the control drive circuit is configured to be arranged between the power supply unit and the brushless or the DC motor to control the brushless or the DC motor and the control drive circuit comprises: bridge-structured switching elements (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6) through which electric power is supplied to coils of the brushless or the DC motor, the switching elements (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6) including upper switching elements (F1, F3, F5) and lower switching elements (F2, F4, F6); upper drive circuits for respectively driving the upper switching elements (F1, F3, F5) and lower drive circuits for respectively driving the lower switching elements (F2, F4, F6); a control circuit for controlling the upper drive circuits and the lower drive circuits; a trigger switch for controlling a supply of electric power to the control circuit and the drive circuits (3, 4), wherein transistors (Q1, Q2) for self-sustaining are provided such that the electric power is supplied to the control circuit and the drive circuits (3, 4) for a predetermined period of time after the trigger switch has been turned off; and a circuit switch provided at a high side of either or both of the upper drive circuits and the lower drive circuits and configured to be turned on and off via a transistor according to an output of the control circuit, wherein, when the trigger switch is turned off, for the predetermined period of time when an electric power is supplied to the control circuit via the transistors (Q1, Q2) for self-sustaining, the control circuit turns on the lower switching elements (F2, F4, F6) via the lower drive circuit and thereafter the control circuit turns off the circuit switch to thereby interrupt the supply of the electric power to either or both of the upper drive circuits and the lower drive circuits, thus preventing a punch-through current from flowing through the bridge-structured switching elements (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6). bridge-structured switching elements (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6) through which electric power is supplied to coils of the brushless or the DC motor, the switching elements (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6) including upper switching elements (F1, F3, F5) and lower switching elements (F2, F4, F6); upper drive circuits for respectively driving the upper switching elements (F1, F3, F5) and lower drive circuits for respectively driving the lower switching elements (F2, F4, F6); a control circuit for controlling the upper drive circuits and the lower drive circuits; a trigger switch for controlling a supply of electric power to the control circuit and the drive circuits (3, 4), wherein transistors (Q1, Q2) for self-sustaining are provided such that the electric power is supplied to the control circuit and the drive circuits (3, 4) for a predetermined period of time after the trigger switch has been turned off; and a circuit switch provided at a high side of either or both of the upper drive circuits and the lower drive circuits and configured to be turned on and off via a transistor according to an output of the control circuit, wherein, when the trigger switch is turned off, for the predetermined period of time when an electric power is supplied to the control circuit via the transistors (Q1, Q2) for self-sustaining, the control circuit turns on the lower switching elements (F2, F4, F6) via the lower drive circuit and thereafter the control circuit turns off the circuit switch to thereby interrupt the supply of the electric power to either or both of the upper drive circuits and the lower drive circuits, thus preventing a punch-through current from flowing through the bridge-structured switching elements (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6).