Driving While Impaired By Drugs Or Medications
While most DUI charges are based on a specific blood-alcohol level, any amount of controlled substances in your bloodstream can trigger prosecution for driving while impaired by drugs (DWI-drugs). Even a doctor's prescription is not an automatic defense.
The experienced lawyers of Cochran & Chhabra, LLC can present effective defenses if you are accused of impairment by legal or illegal drugs. These charges must be taken seriously because of the immediate and lasting consequences, from fines and license suspension to a criminal conviction on your record.
Our firm handles DUI/DWI defense in Annapolis, Baltimore and throughout Maryland. Contact us 24/7 for a free consultation with proven criminal defense attorneys.
DUI Charges For Drugs
You can face DUI/DWI charges for having any substance in your system that could significantly impair your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. This broad definition can apply to:
- Marijuana, cocaine and other street drugs
- Prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Vicodin, etc.
- Over-the-counter medications and stimulants
Because there is no objective test for drug impairment, an arrest for DWI-drugs hinges on the arresting officer's observations. Law enforcement must have probable cause for the initial traffic stop, such as reckless or erratic driving. The officer must have further proof, through field sobriety tests or close-up observation, to make an arrest and order a blood or urine test. Some counties employ drug recognition experts (DREs) who are trained to spot drivers impaired by substances other than alcohol, yet even their observations are hardly scientific.
Our attorneys are skilled at challenging the reports and testimony of Maryland state troopers, Naval Academy police and local police (including DRE officers) to refute drug-related DUI cases. In many cases, we can get charges dismissed as unfounded or reduced to a lesser offense of impaired driving or careless driving. If necessary, our trial lawyers are prepared to challenge the evidence in court and in MVA hearings to fight a conviction or license suspension.
Experienced Maryland Attorneys For Charges Of Driving While Impaired
For a free consultation with one of our Annapolis drug DUI attorneys, call Cochran and Chhabra, LLC, toll free at 888.268.5515 or contact us online. We are available 24/7 to advise clients in Annapolis, Baltimore and throughout Maryland.