There was over 190 people before the district court on drug driving charges in the Northern Sound region between 2024 and January - October 2024.
That's according to figures released by MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú.
The figures revealed that in 2024, 39 people appeared before Cavan District Court, with the figure rising to 68 in the first 10 months of 2025.
This represented a 23% rise in cases across Co. Cavan.
Meanwhile, in Monaghan 31 people appeared before the court on drug related charges last year, which rose to 58 from January to October 2025, an increase of 87%
Nationally, a total of 1,499 people faced district court proceedings for drug driving in 2024, but this has already risen by 37% in the first 10 months of 2025.
As of December 9th 2025, 170 people had lost their lives on our roads, 7 more people than on the same date in 2024.
The Fianna Fáil MEP has called for an expanded roadside drug testing regime over the Christmas period.
She said: "We need an expanded roadside drug testing regime this Christmas period on our roads. We also need to consider policies whereby anyone convicted of drug driving is required to re-sit their driving test or, at minimum, complete a comprehensive driver re-education programme. They have to get the message that they are a danger to other innocent road users.”
Ní Mhurchú has also suggested deploying modified interlock technology, devices currently used to prevent drink driving in the cars of convicted drink drivers, so they can detect drugs instead of alcohol in the vehicles of repeat offenders.
The Ireland South MEP described the cases that do make it to the district court as being the "tip of the ice berg when it comes to drug driving”.
