Things To Note About Drug-DUI Charges
A DUI (driving under the influence) is a crime whether the intoxicating substance is alcohol or another drug. However, there are a few differences between alcohol DUIs and DUIs based on other drugs. Most people understand alcohol DUIs while drug-DUIs are not that well understood.
Medical Drugs Count
People often associate DUI charges with alcohol-based intoxication. This makes sense given that many of those who face DUI charges do so after drinking alcohol and driving. However, alcohol is not the only substance that causes intoxication and impairs judgment. Drugs can also impair your judgment.
Not just illegal or recreational drugs can cause intoxication; even medical drugs can make you a risky driver. Thus, when it comes to DUIs, the cause of the intoxication doesn't matter. What matters is that you were under the influence of a substance that impaired your judgment and increased the risk of an accident. Prescription drugs such as pain meds, antidepressants, and antihistamines can easily have this effect.
Mixing Drugs Leads To Higher Intoxication
Alcohol and drugs such as marijuana target different parts of the brain, even though they both lead to intoxication and impaired judgment. However, when you combine drugs and alcohol (such as marijuana and alcohol), multiple parts of your brain are affected. As a result, your intoxication is amplified above what it would have been with drugs or alcohol alone. Thus, combining drugs and alcohol means the police are more likely to notice your impairment.
Some Drugs Persist In The Bloodstream
Some drugs stay in the body longer than alcohol does. If you got drunk last week, you don't have to worry about DUI stops or arrests when driving this week. If you have been a habitual marijuana user, however, you may be arrested for having drugs in your system while driving even you last ingested the drug weeks ago. This is because marijuana stays in your system longer than alcohol.
Per Se Laws Apply In Some States
The fact that you have drugs in your bloodstream doesn't mean that you are intoxicated and shouldn't drive. Unfortunately, it is not easy to know how many drugs trigger dangerous impairment. This difficulty makes it difficult for states to fight DUIs. For this reason, some states have per se laws that make it a crime to drive with detectable drugs in your system.
This means, in such states, you may be arrested and charged with DUI even if you only have trace amounts of drugs in your blood. Even if you eventually beat the charges, you shall have wasted some time and money.
Contact a criminal defense lawyer if you need help fighting your DUI case.