Colonial Heights DUI Drug Arrests
All DUIs are high priority for Colonial Heights law enforcement officers. DUIs are heavily frowned upon by the police officers, but on top of that, they are a hot-button political issue with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and DUI deaths that occur. It is important in the eyes of the Commonwealth to limit all interaction between individuals and the consumption of alcohol and drugs, which is why Colonial Heights DUI drug arrests are taken so seriously. If you have been charged with a drug DUI, speak with an experienced drug DUI lawyer that could answer your questions and advocate for you.
Difference Between an Alcohol-Based DUI and a DUID
As far as law enforcement is concerned, there is no difference between an alcohol-based DUI and a drug DUI. It is all treated the same when deciding if somebody is going to be charged. There is not going to be a difference between DUID and DUI alcohol-related or standard DUI. That also means that there is no difference between Colonial Heights DUI drug arrests and alcohol-based DUI arrests.
How Law Enforcement Looks for Evidence of Drug Use
With any DUI, the first thing the officer is going to look for is the behavior of the driver, so slurred speech, glassy eyes, and what they refer to as odd behavior can lead to DUID. Anything that the officer determines to not be normal behavior can lead to a DUID charge. Officers may also look for things like the drugs themselves, pill bottles, and the smell of marijuana. Depending on what the alleged drug is, that is going to control what the officer is looking for.
For example, if a police officer they is trying to say that the alleged drug or the intoxicant is marijuana, then the officer is going to be looking for the smell of marijuana because that is the big one. Law enforcement might also look for drug paraphernalia like smoking devices, baggies, green, leafy, and plant-like material. If the alleged DUI is based off of some kind of prescription medication, the officer will look for behavior, pill bottles, loose pills, and any prescriptions that may be in the car that the officer can see.
Because a prescription does not disqualify somebody from receiving a DUI, officers will try to talk to the individual, and if the individual says that they have used or normally take a certain prescription, that can also lead to a DUID arrest. Those would be the major things that an attorney is going to see in Colonial Heights DUI drug arrests.
Ways Marijuana DUI Cases are Different
Marijuana DUI cases are different from other drug cases. The biggest difference in marijuana cases is when it comes to prescription and non-prescription drugs, the commonwealth has a more difficult time proving that a person was actually on the substance because prescription or non-prescription drugs do not have an odor or smell or anything along those lines whereas marijuana does have a distinct smell.
An officer can testify through their training and experience that they noted that smell, and that can ultimately be used against the individual for the purposes of DUI where in prescription drug cases that does not exist. In alcohol cases, that does exist, but the odor of alcohol is not as strong as a burnt substance no matter what the substance could be–in this case, marijuana.
Regulations in Colonial Heights Affecting How Marijuana is Handled
The culture around marijuana has shifted dramatically in the last couple of years. However, that shift has not made its way to Colonial Heights. Simple possessions and the like are different, but as far as DUIs are concerned, that shift is not necessarily felt because of the rules, the political backing, the stigma that comes with DUIs, and the dangerous nature of a DUI itself.
What is meant by that is DUI marijuana-related attitudes have shifted in a way. They have been put in the same light as alcohol in that just possessing alcohol in and of itself is not problematic, does not lead to any law violations and the like. However, if someone was caught up in a DUI, they are still going to prosecute the person to the fullest extent of the law. For marijuana, it is the same way. If someone is caught with simple possession of marijuana in Colonial Heights, they are going to show some leniency especially given the growing trend in America about marijuana. However, if they were caught in a marijuana DUI-based offense, they are still going to prosecute the person to the fullest extent of the law because the DUI stigma is still very much in existence, and it is still something that the legislature and the commonwealth want to fight against. If an individual wants to know more about marijuana, how the legislation has changed, and what that has to do with Colonial Heights DUI Drug Arrests, they should speak with an intelligent drug DUI lawyer today.
