Controlled Substance DUI

Controlled Substance DUI

Most people assume that driving under the influence (DUI) is because they have had too much to drink. However, this isn’t always the case. A person can be arrested for DUI if they are on drugs, have taken prescription drugs or are even altered by taking too many over the counter drugs. Since being arrested for DUI includes drug charges, you will want to hire an expert who is trained to handle the case right away so you are labeled as being a drug offender or having the charges affect your life more than they already have.

Controlled Substance and DUI

• Certain employers might not check in to what kind of drugs altered your system while driving. They might hear of the conviction and immediately fire a person because they have a zero tolerance policy on illicit drugs. However, what they may fail to see is that you were impaired because of a prescription you had a reaction to or you had taken some sleeping aids and were having trouble driving. You might be impaired driving and still never had illicit drugs in your system.

Controlled Substance & Breathalyzer

• A controlled substance in your system won’t be found with a breathalyzer test, but by having a blood or a urine test administered. The police at the scene will check your cognicent abilities and then determine what they believe is causing the impairment. However, if you know that a prescription or over the counter drug has affected you, you could admit it and submit to a blood or urine test to prove you aren’t doing illegal drugs.

Type of Drugs in Your System

• Having a blood or alcohol test will determine the level of impairment in to your system. Officials will be able to look at the test results and know what type of drugs are in the system and to what level they were affecting your driving ability. Charges can be dropped or else other ones can be added on, depending what controlled substances were found in your system. No matter if it is drugs or alcohol impairing your driving, the penalties and the fines will be the same.

• If you refuse a breathalyzer test, you are still subject to the driver’s license suspension of one year. It is recommended to take the test anyway and show that you are not driving after drinking too much alcohol. The police will have to arrest you and then take you to a hospital or a lab where you will then have to submit a blood or urine sample for testing. The test results can take up to several days to get back.

The first offense for DUI is fines and potential jail time with a short probation period. If this is your second offense, the fines are doubled, the jail time is a bit longer and the probation time is also longer, whereas the judge can also order classes to be taken. The third offense or higher is substantial fees, up to $5,000 and jail time of up to one year and probation that lasts up to two years after the fact.