Have You Been Charged with a DUI Involving Drugs?

The state has passed laws that are extremely harsh for those who are found to be under the influence of drugs while driving, whether illegal drugs or prescription pharmaceuticals. If you have been arrested and charged with such an offense, it is critical that you immediately contact a Cherokee County DUI lawyer who has experience in how to defend these cases. At the Law Offices of Richard S. Lawson, the legal team has assisted countless individuals with DUI drug cases (such as those involving marijuana and prescription drugs), including in Woodstock and other areas of Cherokee County. This can be a very serious legal matter, and a conviction could be extremely dangerous to your future.

Drugs and DUI Defense Attorney for Cherokee County

Our lead attorney has been practicing DUI law for nearly twenty years. Over the past couple of years, we have seen more DUI-drug arrests than in our early careers. We believe that one of the reasons for the increase in DUI arrests has to do with our aging population. As the baby boomers are getting older, more people are relying on their daily medications to function. Another factor is the great increase in which people are now taking prescription medications for everything ranging from diabetes, to smoking cessation drugs, to anxiety, ADHD and depression. It's understandable that given the vast number of people taking prescription medications every day, the numbers of DUI-drug arrests would increase accordingly.

In previous decades alcohol was the driving force behind DUI arrests. Today things have changed; more people are being arrested for driving under the influence of illegal and legal drugs than in previous decades. Although most people are aware that they can be arrested for driving while under the influence of an illegal substance such as marijuana, most people are shocked when they are arrested for driving under the influence of their legally prescribed medication, or an over the counter cold medicine.

Police officers have a tremendous amount of discretion when assessing someone's impairment by a drug, which is surprising considering their lack of scientific research to back up such assessments. These assumptions or conclusions are usually made based on field experience, or gut instincts. Many of such assumptions are simply wrong. This is an upsetting development in DUI law, especially considering that as of present, there aren't any studies that quantify any illegal or legal drug use with driving impairment level. Furthermore, field sobriety tests that police officers are trained in conducting at the scene aren't designed to detect impairment from drugs.

Since DUI drug cases aren't based on scientific comparisons of impairment levels, even blood tests can be questioned. Even when a blood test shows high levels of a prescription drug in the person's system, a crime lab witness or toxicologist cannot state that the drug level means the person was impaired. This is good news for the defense. Fortunately, DUI drug cases are much harder to prove than alcohol-related DUI cases, and we use this fact to our client's advantage.

After an in-depth analysis of your case, you can be advised what can be done and what to expect in your future. Many cases have serious flaws that can be exploited by the legal team, such as when your rights were violated in the arrest process. It is vital you do not talk to law enforcement until you have a defense lawyer to advise you as you can create more problems for yourself in any interview about the case. Protect your rights and your future and get legal representation from the firm immediately after your arrest. Your case will be a priority and the DUI defense lawyer from the Law Offices of Richard S. Lawson will initiate action quickly to defend you.

Contact a Cherokee County DUI with Drugs Lawyer from the firm for experienced and aggressive legal representation for your defense.