Maryland Prescription Drug DUI Lawyer
Maryland prescription drug DUI lawyers are here to help you during a stressful situation. They can also help clarify definitions of drugs. Prescription drugs are in a broad category that includes legal prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. Anything a person puts in their system could lead to impairment. In Maryland, it is a crime to drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol even if the person was driving under the influence of prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications. Many of these cases involve the use of Xanax, Valium, Ambien, Flexeril, Percocet, and other medications doctors prescribe on a regular basis. These are the more common names. They can impede the body’s ability to effectively drive a vehicle in a safe manner. Consult with a professional Maryland DUI lawyer if you are concerned about charges or consequences.
Examples of Prescription Drugs Linked to Drug DUIs
Flexeril and Percocet are for muscle relaxants and pain. Vicodin, Xanax, Valium, Ambien and medications for depression and anxiety can affect the body’s ability to operate properly and to have that proper motor function.
Role of Drug Recognition Expert
A drug recognition expert is an officer trained and certified to evaluate whether an individual is under the influence of a drug. The training is broken down into three phases: classroom, certification, and a final knowledge exam. The classroom phase is nine days of classroom training, which is always mandatory. The certification phase immediately follows and runs over a four-week period. The final exam certifies the officer as a DRE.
The body camera and dash cam can assist in many of these cases regarding the observations. Much of what the officer observes is the involvement of drugs that show impairment. The officer conducts a 12 step process to verify the presence of drugs in a person. The training teaches the DRE how to identify the seven categories of drugs and the effects they can have on a person. They learn how to evaluate the person by doing psychophysical and physiological assessments used in the drug evaluation and classification procedures. They complete a written report and testify about the evaluation. The class teaches the officer how to write the drug influence evaluation report and how to testify.
Evidence for Charge
Unfortunately, people provide the evidence to be charged with a prescription drug DUI when they make statements to the officer and admit to recently using some form of drugs or alcohol. The officer obtains evidence when they stop someone and make observations of the person during the initial stop and the field sobriety tests. Those observations can lead to the person being held and offered a blood test. If there are questions about statements to a police officer, a person should direct them towards a Maryland prescription drug DUI lawyer.
Calling a DRE to the scene and their evaluation plays a role in a prescription drug DUI charge as well. The evidence needs to show only that the person was impaired. A blood test shows presence, but there must be a totality of circumstances. When looking at everything the state’s attorney proved, a defense attorney must show it does not exist or must disprove the evidence. That can become quite complicated, so contacting a prescription drug DUI attorney in Maryland right away is important.
Unexpected Side-Effects
Unfortunately, unexpected side-effects do not change the case. Before the person even puts a drug in their system, they must be well-aware of anything the drug can do to their body and how they could react. There are certain warnings on the bottle of most drugs that make this defense null.
Contacting a Prescription Drug DUI Lawyer
A person should contact a prescription drug DUI lawyer for a Maryland DUI because it is drug-related. When the person is accused of being under the influence, whether it is drugs, alcohol, or the combination thereof, it is an extremely serious case where the maximum penalty is up to one year in jail.