A report released this week shows 13,815 people were charged or issued infringements by police last year for drug driving, compared to 1,409 people a decade ago.

The New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) says there has been an “explosion” in the number of drug driving offences over the past decade, in particularly regional areas, with Executive director Jackie Fitzgerald saying police had significantly increased the number of roadside drug tests they conducted each year, from 20,000 to 156,000.

While the state average of drug driving detections last year was about 200 per 100,000 population, areas with the highest rates were typically regional; Tenterfield, Moree and Glen Innes Serven regions were all listed inside the Top 10 Regional Hotspots, with cannabis and amphetamine the most common drugs detected.

Figures supplied by Transport for NSW show there were 1,404 crashes between 2019 and 2024 where drug use was a factor, resulting in 372 deaths and 1,816 people injured.