Prince George’s County Drug DUI Lawyer
A person be charged with a DUI for a drug-related impairment by driving under the influence of alcohol. However, there are separate subsections, all of which carry up to a year incarceration of someone driving under the influence of drugs or narcotics or otherwise impaired by a substance even if it is prescribed.
The most common drugs associated with a DUI are probably prescription medications. The biggest mistakes to avoid in drug DUI cases is not thinking that it is treated seriously if not more so than drinking and driving. If you have been accused of operating a vehicle while under the influence of narcotics and alcohol contact a Prince George’s County drug DUI lawyer to discuss potential arguments for court. A dedicated DUI attorney can help you fight the charges against you.
What is Drug-Related Impairment?
A person be charged with drug-related impairment even when it involves legal or prescribed drugs because the charge and offense is not driving under the influence of an illegal substance. Alcohol is not illegal either if someone is 21 or over. The fact is it is not whether an individual is prescribed or permitted or taken an item; the fact is the individual cannot be driving while impaired or under the influence of anything. Someone could be prescribed a heavy opiate medication for severe pain but even on the medication it says, “Do not drive” or “Be careful operating heavy machinery.” Just because something is prescribed does not mean it is permissible to use and operate a vehicle.
Using Involuntary Intoxication as a Defense Argument
Involuntary intoxication is absolutely a defense because if someone unknowingly consumed a substance that impaired them. As a Prince George’s County drug DUI lawyer has seen, this defense is only possible because driving under the influence or while impaired is an offense that requires that it be an intentional or knowing decision. If someone was given something they thought was a soda but it had alcohol in it or someone was given what they thought was aspirin but it really was an opiate and later were arrested for a drug DUI, if a judge or jury is persuaded that it was unknowing, there is absolutely a defense to that.
What Are the Drug Testing Laws Related to Drug DUI’s?
Authorities in Prince George’s County test for the presence of drugs either one of two ways: they either do a blood draw where they can test it or they have what is called a DRE or drug recognition expert, who is an individual who is trained to analyze the physiology of somebody to ascertain whether or not they are under the influence or impaired. For example, the perspiration, the sweat, the pupil dilation, response to light, and heart rate all come into play and can be indicative of somebody who may be under the influence of some kind of drug or narcotic.
In Prince George’s County, the laws regarding refusal of these kinds of tests are that someone can refuse. They are not required to submit to the tests but if they refuse, there are generally more punitive sanctions against their driving privilege and the refusal can be used against somebody in a criminal case.
Importance of Consulting an Attorney
Prince George’s County authorities do a lot of things to prove that a driver was indeed impaired. There are the field sobriety tests, preliminary breath test, intoxicator breath test, blood tests, DRE tests and also general interaction. If a person falls out of a car, reeks of alcoholic beverages, admits to consuming a lot of alcohol, is slurring their speech or stumbling, these can all be used against someone when a prosecutor is trying to prove a case of a DUI.
It is important to contact a Prince George’s County drug DUI lawyer when facing these kinds of charges because only an experienced attorney will know the appropriate defenses to raise, strategies to employ, the ins and outs of the courtrooms, the preferences of the prosecutors and judges, and what strategies do work and do not work.