While a typical number for driving under the influence of drugs was around 20 per year, as of this fall, the figure had already surpassed 100.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated in the case of 111 drivers, where drug use was adjudged to be "highly likely."

Nikita Golovin, head of the Police and Border Guard Board's (PPA) Jõhvi patrol, put the rise down to focused efforts by his authority and heightened attention to drug-impaired driving, even as there has been an apparent rise in drug use too.

He said: "Given the spread of narcotic substances has been on the rise here over the years, plus various wastewater studies also reiterate this, it is a serious problem that needs to be addressed."

"If we can state that there are still quite a lot of people among us who use narcotics, then the logical conclusion would be that these people must somehow travel around, meaning that they are very likely driving vehicles to work, home, taking children to the kindergarten, and so on," Golovin continued.

Officers in the PPA's eastern prefecture have undergone specialized training to detect drug use via external indications, though this can be a challenging process.

One example involved a driver exhibiting delayed reactions, red eyes, and spontaneous laughter, later testing positive for amphetamines and cannabis.

"We noticed an erratic driver, while officers identified that the individual's eyes were reddish, and he couldn't focus his gaze on a simple pen," Golovin said of some of these signs.

"He also exhibited reaction and coordination disorders, sweating, and was prone to spontaneous bouts of laughter, which gave us the impression that something was not quite right with this driver."

"We then took the person to the Ida-Viru Central Hospital ER, and an initial test also showed that he had been using amphetamines and cannabis," Golovin added.

"This is but one typical example of how we identify these drivers," he added.

Despite the 111 criminal cases already under process and the heightened awareness of drug driving, Golovin notes this is just the tip of the iceberg, as not all cases can be detected.

"In some cases, we are still waiting for the expert report, but yes, if we compare it with last year's statistics, the outlook seems quite depressing," Golovin added.

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