39 people have been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs in Clare since the relevant legislation was introduced.
Almost all motorists to have been found guilty of the offence were done so last year.
Gardai across Clare and elsewhere were initially given the power to prosecute any driver they found under the influence of drugs in April 2017, under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act.
Despite that, according to figures obtained under a Freedom of Information request by Clare FM, it took around two and a half years for the first conviction of the offence in this county, which occurred in the final quarter of 2019.
That individual was prosecuted in Killaloe District Court.
Of the 36 convictions recorded by the Courts in 2020, 32 of them took place in Ennis, three separate individuals were convicted of four individual offences in Kilrush, while one further motorist was found guilty of drug driving in Killaloe.
Two drivers have been found guilty of driving under the influence of drugs here so far in 2021 – both of these individuals were prosecuted in Ennis.
