Driving Under the Influence of Drugs

Driving under the influence of drugs is a crime in California is a crime under Vehicle Code section 23152(a). Driving under the influence of drugs is an extremely serious offense in California that can be punished with fines, a driver's license suspension, and sometimes even jail time. If you're facing a California driving under the influence of drugs charge, a skilled California DUI attorney from The Kavinoky Law Firm is ready to fight for your freedom.

Driving under the influence of drugs, or DUID, is prosecuted very similarly to DUI cases involving alcohol. One difference in California is that there is no "per se" amount, or legal limit, for DUID cases like there is for drunk driving cases.

Instead, the standard for driving under the influence of drugs is physical and mental impairment that prevents you from driving a vehicle with the caution characteristic of a sober person of ordinary prudence under the same or similar circumstances.

In order to prove this, the prosecutor will likely introduce blood or urine test evidence that shows levels of the drug you're accused of using before driving. However, these chemical tests detect metabolites, not the drugs themselves.

Therefore, a chemical test could indicate that you had used cocaine at some time in the past but wouldn't definitively prove that you were under the influence at the time you were driving. A skilled California drug lawyer will do everything possible to highlight this fact during cross-examination.

The prosecutor in a California driving under the influence of drugs case will also use any evidence of driving patterns and physical appearance that indicate that you were under the influence.

However, there are often alternate explanations to this evidence that have nothing to do with drug use. For example, you may have swerved because you inadvertently dropped something on the floor of your car and momentarily wavered between lanes when picking it up. Similarly, any physical symptoms that the officer mistook for evidence of drug intoxication could have been caused by an unrelated illness.

It's possible to fight and win against a California DUID charge, and an experienced California defense lawyer from The Kavinoky Law Firm is ready to help you fight your case. Please contact a top California DUI lawyer today at 1.800.NO.CUFFS for a free consultation.

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