Atlanta DUI Lawyer

Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) ranges from smoking weed while driving to operating a vehicle after you take a prescription drug.  Proving a driver is DUID can be difficult, because drugs tend to stay longer in the system than alcohol and the State has to often prove that a recent use of drugs caused you to drive less safely.  However, if you are convicted of DUID, then you will face the same stiff penalties as DUI.

Georgia DUI Drugs

A common misperception is that you can be charged with DUI if you were only drinking and driving.  However, you can be charged with DUI if you drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs, inhalants, or any combination of substances making a driver less safe to operate a vehicle. DUI Drugs is often charged if a driver is driving under the influence of marijuana or a controlled substance.

However, a driver can also be DUID for driving under the influence of a prescription drug, even if you were prescribed the drug by your doctor.  It is not a defense if you have a prescription for the drug.  The only valid defense is to show that the prescription drug did not make you less safe to operate a vehicle.

A DUI involving drugs is often difficult to prove.  Routinely, officers encountering a drugged driver will request a urine and blood test from the driver.  However, there is no recognized method for determining the amount of drugs needed to make a driver less safe to drive, which is why there is no numerical limit set for determining whether a driver is DUID.

The fines and penalties for DUI Drugs are the same as those for a first DUI, second DUI, third DUI, and fourth DUI.