Now that some states are legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal and/or recreational use, the country needs to have a discussion about controlled substances and their effects on driving. This discussion needs to go much further though and looks at the effects of many prescription medications on a person’s ability to drive. Honestly, when was the last time you read the paperwork which came with a prescription medication? Will they impair your driving ability?
If you don’t know, now is the time to find out, as you can be arrested for a DUI while taking certain medications or using marijuana. You need to speak to a DUI Attorney Minneapolis MN if it’s too late and you have already been pulled over and charged with a crime after making use of one of these substances. The penalties in the state are stiff, no matter what substance led to your impairment.
Often this is referred to in Minnesota as a DUID or driving under the influence of drugs, and, not surprisingly, it’s a bigger problem than driving while under the influence of alcohol, as so many fail to read the information which comes with their prescription medications. Statistics haven’t been gathered either when it comes to prescription medications and driving, because so many take these medications, either with or without a doctor’s prescription.
As a DUI Attorney Minneapolis MN will explain, many prescription drugs are classified, under current law, as hazardous substances, although common household items one may use to get high also fall into this category. If a law enforcement officer pulls you over and believes you are under the influence of a hazardous substance, you’ll be asked to take a urine or blood test. Refusal to do so results in a DWI or DUID.
The difference between a DWI and a DUID is the state has no blood alcohol content associated with prescription medications. You will still lose your license, nevertheless, for a period of 90 days, if you are a first offender, unless you are under the age of 21. If you are, your license is revoked for 180 days, and the penalties get stiffer for additional infractions. Click here to learn more.
