A police operation over two days – on Friday and Saturday – saw 23 drivers nabbed, a result which has obviously disappointed police and no doubt law-abiding road users.

And it’s a number we probably can’t expect to see come down any time soon, as plans are under way to introduce permanent roadside drug testing in Albury.

The capacity to drug test more drivers on the Border will markedly increase once our local police no longer need to rely on specialist equipment coming in from Sydney.

We could see regular drug testing on drivers from early next year, and there are plans to train local officers on the use of portable testing devices.

Highway patrol and general duty officers got 23 positive results after conducting 111 tests at random on Friday and Saturday, with another 27 infringement notices for offences including speeding and mobile phone use.

In Wodonga, drug-drive operations this year have had even more startling results, with a strike rate of nearly 80 per cent.

Operation Sunrise, which ran from April 22 to 30, resulted in 26 positive results from 34 tests.

But Albury Acting Sergeant Nick Fahy, pictured, is none too pleased with the results from the operation on the NSW side of the border, describing the number of positive tests as high for the number of drivers tested.

While the drug tests indicate the presence of illicit drugs in a person’s system, they are not necessarily an indication of drug impairment. But the high rate of positive results is a concern.

It was just last week that a magistrate warned of a broad ignorance by some cannabis users when it comes to assessing how long the drug would be in their system.

After dealing with two such matters in Albury Court, Tony Murray felt compelled to issue a warning about the issue.

He said people often mistakenly thought the main active ingredient in cannabis – tetrahydo-cannabinol, commonly known as THC –  was out of their system within 24 hours. But it could take up to six weeks, he warned.

With that lack of understanding pretty common among illegal drug users, and more drug-testing on our roads, it is no wonder so many of the dopes are going to end up getting caught.