Three people, including a woman travelling with children, have been caught driving with meth and cannabis in their system in separate incidents reported overnight.
The reports follow the ACT Chief Police Officer, Deputy Commissioner Scott Lee's recent concerns about an increase in community drug use and in drug-affected driving on ACT roads.
On Tuesday, July 28, ACT Road Policing officers pulled over a 43-year-old woman in a black Volkswagen Golf travelling with three children in the back seat.
The Farrer woman, spotted on Goldstein Crescent in Chisholm about 7.10pm, allegedly sped away from police before the vehicle was found parked on Alston Street.
Following a drug test, police alleged the woman had been driving under the influence of methamphetamine and cannabis.
The 43-year-old woman is expected to be charged with driving while disqualified and driving with a prescribed drug in oral fluid in the ACT Magistrates Court in November.
The incident was reported a short time after a 48-year-old Queanbeyan man was seen allegedly speeding in a silver Holden Captiva on the Tuggeranong Parkway, through Molonglo Valley.
Police arrested the man at a Kaleen home where he was subjected to an oral swab test which allegedly flagged he was under the influence of methamphetamine.
"Police will allege the vehicle was travelling at 124kmh in a 90kmh zone, following other vehicles too closely and failed to stop when directed by police," an ACT Policing spokeswoman said.
The 48-year-old will appear in the ACT Magistrates Court at a later date charged with failing to stop for police and driving with a prescribed drug in oral fluid.
About 11.15pm, ACT police officers stopped a 25-year-old man who was allegedly driving an unregistered black Ford Escape on Canberra Avenue while his learner's licence was suspended.
The 25-year-old Queanbeyan resident, whose vehicle was deemed unroadworthy on the spot due to various defects, also underwent a drug test that allegedly returned a positive result for methamphetamine and cannabis.
He will face the ACT Magistrates Court at a later date for charges including drug-driving, driving with a suspended licence, using an unregistered motor vehicle, using an uninsured motor vehicle, and driving an unsafely maintained motor vehicle.
In a hearing on Tuesday, July 28, Assembly members heard police conducted 3118 random drug tests in 2025-2026 and that 700 people were charged with drug-driving.
"The increasing use of drugs in our community like every community in the country ... and the positive drug tests in terms of roadside are a concern to us," Deputy Commissioner Lee said, adding that roadside drug testing was targeted rather than random.
He said ACT Policing was in talks with the Police Minister and Transport Minister about potential legislative reform to allow police officers to ramp up roadside drug testing "in a more effective way".
On the other hand, ACT police have boosted random breath tests (RBT) from about 46,000 in 2023-2024 to more than 100,000 tests in the past two financial years.
In 2026, 528 people tested positive for alcohol in their system, the hearing was told.
Deputy Commissioner Scott Lee said there had been a 16 per cent drop in drink-driving charges in the ACT and called it a positive change in community behaviour.
