“This is a road safety issue; we don’t want people using illegal drugs, and certainly if they use drugs we don’t want them to drive,” said Senior Sergeant Wayne McLachlan of the Wagga Traffic and Highway Patrol.

A record 80 people charged with driving with an illicit drug in their system had their cases mentioned in Wagga Local Court on Monday.

Sergeant McLachlan said there would be another huge day in a few weeks.

“We are disappointed so many people continue to use drugs and drive, and not only risk their own lives, but the lives of other road users as well,” he said.

Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, told The Sydney Morning Herald the state government’s zero tolerance approach was motivated by deterrence after drug driving was linked to 14 per cent of road fatalities in 2014.

But many of the drivers testing positive are arguing they used cannabis or the drug ice several days before being tested and were not intoxicated when swabbed.

Controversy rages across the state over how long these illegal drugs can be detected by the Draeger DrugTest 5000 used by NSW Police.

A government website says cannabis can be detected in saliva by a mobile testing stick for up to 12 hours after use, but experts are also saying chronic users can test positive for days after last using.

“At the end of the day, we are doing the tests to improve the safety of the region’s roads, and we will continue to put the offenders before the courts,” Sergeant McLachlan said.

Police in the Wagga and Cootamundra local area commands have tested 608 drivers so far this year, of whom 137 (22.5 per cent) have returned positive readings.

Sergeant McLachlan said police did not give advice to drug users on how long they should stay off the road, but do issue a 24-hour banning notice after a positive test.

“We certainly don’t provide any advice apart from don’t use drugs and drive,” he said.