Dr. Declan Bedford:

It only came in properly in 2018 and, therefore, it was likely to increase over time when gardaí became comfortable with the test and it became organised. When the test came in originally, it was new and it takes a bit of time to get up to speed. That might explain some of it.

In one sense, there is a reward aspect because, if they are finding people, they will say it is worth doing. They might say there is no point going out tonight because they will not get anybody, but if they go out and set up a roadblock, there is a chance of picking people up. In one sense, that is backward because the idea of the legislation and the road checks is prevention and to stop people in the first place. In Australia, there was a legitimate story of police officers going out to a road checkpoint with a trainee police officer. They were there for a few hours and found nobody. When the trainee police officer said it was a waste of time, the senior police officer said it was not, because people knew they were out there and they were not drink-driving or drug-driving. That is what our legislation is meant to do as well. The roadblocks and the enforcement are highly visible to stop people taking intoxicants, whether it be drugs or alcohol.

To go back to the point, drug taking is becoming more prevalent and the trends in Ireland are increasing. If more people are taking drugs and these people drive cars, more people will be detected. When people hear about detection and the higher rates, it may deter them. People now say they cannot drink and then drive home. They have to get that same attitude in regard to drugs as well. That will be done by increasing the number of checkpoints. Highly visible enforcement is the key.