According to Brake, a significant number of young people have risked both their lives by taking to the wheel while under the influence of illegal drugs.
The high profile road safety charity revealed that one in nine people aged between 17 and 24 have broken the drug driving law over the past year.
This news has come as something of a shock to the UK's student car insurance companies, many of which are now calling for tough government action.
The government has responded by saying that the laws pertaining to drug driving will be bought into line with those for driving while drunk.
The Brake Senior Campaigns Officer said, "We need the Government to follow through with its commitment to tackle this problem. For too long the law on drug driving has been totally inadequate."
The need for tougher action was made clear in a French report, which revealed that drivers who have taken cannabis are considerably more likely to be involved in road accidents than those who have no drugs in their system.
The spokesperson for a cheap car insurance company said, "The effects of drugs can often leave people feeling overly confident or extremely relaxed, both of which are known to lead to dangerous driving behaviours."