Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is something on which we can follow up. I am on the joint policing committee in Limerick city and county, and Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche and his staff come before us. The number of drug-related testing of drivers is increasing relative to tests for alcohol. We are told one in seven roadside drug tests prove positive, whereas one in 30 prove positive in alcohol testing. When gardaí test for drugs, one person in every seven returns as positive but with alcohol it is one person from every 30. Based on the bureau's report, two thirds of everyone tested is under 34. Some 30% of those people are under 24. That is 1,335 individuals. Another 38% are between 25 and 34. Two thirds of all people tested in 2020 were under the age of 34. They were predominantly male. Is that correct? That is 3,000 of 4,489 tests done.

Dr. Bedford might correct me if I am wrong, but detection of cocaine seems to be increasing exponentially relative even to cannabis. The figure for cannabis detection was 1,747 in 2019 and 2,606 in 2020. The figure for cocaine in 2019 was 852. It increased to 1,494 in 2020. The cannabis figure saw a 50% increase and the cocaine figure saw a 75% increase.

There is also the percentage of tests carried out.

In 2019, 36% of the 13,500 tests were alcohol tests and that went up to 43% in 2020. Toxicology tests went up from 24% of tests to 33% and the number of evidential breath tests went down. Are we seeing an epidemic on the roads, given drug testing is now overtaking alcohol testing? Dr. Bedford might also comment on how long drugs stay in the system. If someone takes a drug, be it cocaine or otherwise, they can get up the following morning and not have a hangover or the sickness people get from drinking alcohol.