Usually, when one hears the term “DUI arrest,” it is assumed the driver was under the influence of alcohol. However a DUI or DWI (driving while intoxicated) charge can also involve the consumption one of numerous types of substances that have the ability to impair the driving skills of an individual. In Maryland, you can face DUI/DWI charges for driving under the influence of drugs, whether illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter.

Drugs affect individuals in different ways. Some impair alertness, judgment, motor skills, and concentration to a greater degree than others. Many of these drugs when consumed may produce effects upon individuals that are more dangerous than alcohol.

Many state jurisdictions, including within the state of Maryland utilize Drug Recognition Experts (DREs). These are police officers with special training to determine the level of drug impairment in motorists pulled over by law enforcement. These experts look for evidence such as the individual’s eye movements, and other behaviors that indicate drug influence. Typically, blood and urine samples are taken to verify the presence of drugs in a person system as well.

Over-the-counter and prescription drugs

Certain drugs purchased over-the-counter or at a pharmacy has a prescription can inhibit the ability of motorists to drive a motor vehicle safely. It is important to learn about a medication’s capacity for impairment before attempting to drive a vehicle with the drug in your system.

Some common over-the-counter and prescription drugs that can result in driver impairment include:

• Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin – these and other benzodiazepines often produce psychomotor impairment, according to the National Institute of Health.
• Sleeping pills – drowsiness even after a night’s sleep
• Antihistamines – impaired coordination and reduced reaction time
• Antidepressants – can produce impairment similar to alcohol
• Hydrocodone – as the main component in Vicodin, this pain reliever causes impairment similar to oxycodone, morphine, and codeine.
• Decongestants – can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and anxiety

Controlled substances make it dangerous to drive

Using or possessing certain controlled substances is enough to lead to an arrest; driving while under the influence of one of these drugs almost certainly will. Even if it were legal to use drugs and drive, the side effects they cause make it dangerous to get behind the wheel:

• Marijuana – disorientation, drowsiness, image distortion, relaxation, altered space and time perception. (Important note: Even if an individual may legally consume marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes, this does not free the driver from the potential charge of driving under the influence.)
• Heroin, morphine, and other opioids – sedation, drowsiness, reduced reflexes, mental clouding, disconnectedness, among other effects.
• Cocaine – aggressiveness, dizziness, disoriented and confused behavior, excitation, increased heart rate, paranoia.
• LSD – tremors, delusions, hallucinations, impaired time, space, and depth perception, altered mental state.
• Methamphetamine – insomnia, hallucinations, increased blood pressure and heart rate, loss of impulse control, delusions, excitation
• Zolpidem (Ambien) – drowsiness, dizziness, grogginess, irregular heartbeat (heart palpitations), hallucinations, driving while asleep, amnesia, trouble breathing.

Legal substances that can impair driving

There are a slew of other substances that are not quite drugs, and not quite “not-drugs” which can also lead to driver impairment. For example, certain liverworts contain cannabinoids that can cause a user to get high. Synthetic drugs, often for sale in “head shops” and gas stations, can also make it dangerous to get behind the wheel ­– and lead to a DWI charge, if your driving is erratic and dangerous.

Because the level of impairment involved in a drugged driving case can be more difficult to assess than one involving alcohol, having an experienced DUI attorney in these cases on your side is essential.

At Carey Law Office, we understand how to effectively mount a defense in both DUI cases involving alcohol and impairments resulting from other drugs. Attorney Joseph Carey can fight to minimize or completely eliminate the final consequences you are facing in your case. To set up a consultation at one of our offices in Bowie or Crofton, give us a call today at 301.464.2500 or reach us through our contact form.