Driving Under the Influence of Drugs

Retain a Whole Team of Bakersfield DUI Attorneys

In California, driving under the influence crimes are not solely limited to alcohol-related driving violations. You can actually be ticketed and arrested for driving under the influence of drugs, a charge sometimes called DUID. Intoxicated driving may be the more common offense but the criminal justice system views impaired driving just as dangerous and may even exact harsher punishments on convicted offenders.

The legal statutes in place have intentionally kept the government’s definition of an impairing drug somewhat vague. In most cases, they are concerned with controlled substances, or any drug that the government regulates or deems illegal. In other situations, something as innocuous as cold medicine could be linked to a DUID if it had been impairing your ability to drive in some way.

Upon conviction, most DUID charges will be treated as a standard DUI in terms of penalties. This means you could be facing time in jail, thousands in fines and fees, and a lengthy license suspension, depending on the number of prior DUIs on your record. Keep in mind that you could face additional drug crime charges, such as possession, based on what narcotic was impairing you at the time of the rest.

Defenses to Driving Under the Influence with Drugs

California State legislation continues to be vague when it comes to establishing evidence of your alleged illegal impairment. There is currently no set amount of drugs required to be detectable in your system to land a conviction. This means you could be slammed with charges if a blood test reveals you had even a fraction of a fraction of a controlled substance in your system. As far as drug testing is concerned, the implied consent law also means you must adhere to any requested chemical tests to check for drugs, or else face immediate consequences like a license suspension.

To defend yourself against a system that is seemingly stacked against you, clever and quick-witted defense counselors are required. At Campbell Whitten, we push the boundaries of criminal defense litigation and think outside the box to protect our clients’ rights. From questioning the legality of the stop that led to your arrest to challenging the results of your drug test, we rule out nothing until we have fully explored its options.