Twenty Canberrans have been caught drug-driving in the first year of roadside testing, while civil liberties groups continue to protest the zero-tolerance approach of the new laws.
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Police have now used random roadside drug testing in the ACT for 12 months, conducting 761 tests since May last year.
Twenty drivers tested positive to initial saliva swabs taken on the road.
Those saliva swabs were criticised as inaccurate and unreliable when the laws were introduced, but those fears were not reflected in the first year of operation.
All 20 saliva swabs were proven to be accurate in subsequent laboratory tests, and police have laid 20 drug-driving related charges.
But while police and motoring groups have praised the introduction of drug-driving testing to the ACT, Civil Liberties Australia has continued to campaign against it.
Director Tim Vines said concerns remained on the detection of ''false positives'', and said the testing mechanisms were yet to be fully scrutinised through the courts, despite a number of finalised convictions.
Mr Vines is critical of the law's zero-tolerance approach, under which the presence of even the smallest concentration of drugs would trigger a positive result.
He said this meant the crime was not based on the actual impairment of driving ability.
He said it also opened drivers up to being prosecuted in cases where they had passively or accidentally consumed illicit substances, for example, through second-hand cannabis smoke.
ACT Policing will review the effectiveness of drug-driving testing operations in the near future, and plan to increase the number of tests to 2000 in the next financial year.
The NRMA has applauded the plan to increase drug-driving testing. Regional director Alan Evans said even the slightest drug or alcohol impairment put road users in danger, and weakened their ability to respond to sudden changes.
''It does show that it's something that has to be front and centre of the police's programs, to make sure that we eradicate it as an offence,'' Mr Evans said.
Mr Evans said the number of drivers caught by police in the first year was lower than he expected.
''I would have thought it would have been a bit more in the early stages, until people were actually aware the police were out there doing it,'' he said.
''A part of me says I'm glad it wasn't more, 20 is too many.''
Civil Liberties Australia believes better information needs to be provided to the public, guiding road users on drug use, and the relationship to impairment and driving.
Mr Vines wants similar guides to those provided for drink-driving, telling motorists how long they will be impaired after consuming different amounts of drugs.
