When people are arrested for DWIs, most of the time it’s because they were driving while intoxicated by alcohol or illegal drugs; however, it’s possible to also be charged with a DWI for driving under the influence of regular prescription drugs. In situations like this, it’s important to hire a DWI attorney in Cambridge, MD office to defend against those and other charges that may be handed down by the prosecutor.
How Prescription Drug Use Can Lead to DWI Charges
Millions of people depend on prescription drugs to help them manage their medical or mental health conditions; however, those drugs can impact their ability to drive safely just like alcohol and illegal drugs. If the medications make people drowsy, reduce their ability to think clearly or impact their reaction time, then they may get into an accident as a result of their decreased mental capacity and charged with a DWI if they display behavior similar to an intoxicated person (e.g. weaving)cident as a result of their decreased mental capacity.
Defending a Prescription Drug DWI
In some ways, defending a prescription drug DWI can be easier than one involving alcohol or illegal drugs. Many states define alcohol intoxication as having a certain blood alcohol content (typically .08), but However, there currently are no laws regulating how much of a drug a person can have in his or her system before the individual is considered intoxicated. The reasons is that there are no studies that definitively correlate dosage levels with intoxication.
This is beneficial to defendants because the prosecution has to then prove the person was intoxicated based on behavioral cues such as slurred speech and erratic driving; h However, many of these behaviors can be caused by other things. It may be possible to get the DWI charges dismissed simply because the prosecution can’t definitively prove the person was intoxicated when the individual only had prescription drugs in his or her system.
On the other hand, if the person causes an accident while under the influence of prescription drugs, the prosecution may use that fact to help convict him or her on more serious charges, such as vehicular manslaughter if someone was fatally injured in the crash.
Regardless of what led to the arrest, it’s important for the person to hire a DWI attorney in Cambridge, MD such as Marc A. Zeve PA Attorney at Law for help with defending against the charge.
