About Drugs & DUI Charges in Cobb County

DUI with Drugs Defense Lawyer Serving Marietta, Smyrna, Powder Springs, Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, and Mableton

Any DUI offense is usually frightening and worthy of concern. A conviction on a DUI offense can result in jail time, steep fines, a suspended driver’s license, community service and a mandated risk reduction program. For those who are arrested as the result of drug intoxication, the matter becomes even more severe. Some individuals do not realize that even legally prescribed drugs that affect driving negatively can result in a DUI with drugs offense.

When the offense is related to illegal substances such as methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, LSD, ecstasy or an illegally procured medication, you have a serious legal problem. Currently, the prosecutor does not have to prove that you drove a vehicle unsafely while under the influence of illegal substances. The mere fact of driving while under the influence of an illegal substance is still enough to cause you to be arrested and charged. It becomes crucial that you get immediate legal help from a Cobb County DUI lawyer.

Currently, police officers have a tremendous amount of discretion when assessing for impairment by a drug. It's not uncommon for them to make conclusions or assumptions based on their personal experience in the field. Many times these conclusions are in fact wrong. This is a troubling development in DUI law because there are no studies quantifying any illegal or legal drug with any driving impairment level. Furthermore, the standardized field sobriety tests used by law enforcement nationwide are not designed to detect impairment from drugs.

Numerous states have a particular section of the DUI code that addresses driving under the influence of drugs. Although DUI-drug carries the same social stigma and consequences as a DUI-alcohol case, they contain some basic differences. Nationwide, it's unlawful to operate an automobile with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% or higher. This is referred to as the "per se" level of impairment.

With a DUI-drug case, unlike alcohol, there is no quantitative measurement of any drug or substance that creates a known level of impairment. Even if a blood test shows a high level of a certain prescription drug in a person's system, neither the toxicologist nor crime lab witness can state that the drug level means the driver was impaired. This is a critical argument for the defense and fortunately it's much more difficult for the state to prove a DUI-drug case than a DUI-alcohol case.

DUI with Drugs Charges in Cobb County: The Law Offices of Richard S. Lawson

Dealing with this difficult legal situation takes an experienced and knowledgeable attorney with a history of successfully defending these serious charges. At the Law Offices of Richard S. Lawson, the legal team has over 17 years in dealing exclusively with DUI defense, including DUI with drugs.

It is important that you contact the firm immediately after the arrest, and prior to allowing questioning by law enforcement. If you do not have one of the firm’s legal team representing you, your statements can and will be used against you in the case. What appears to be a “friendly” law enforcement officer is actually far from friendly – if you make a statement that could assist in convicting you, you can be pretty certain that your statements will be used against you. Get legal representation from the Law Offices of Richard S. Lawson at once if you have been arrested and charged with this very serious offense.

Contact a Cobb County DUI with drugs lawyer from the Law Offices of Richard S. Lawson immediately if you have been arrested and charged with this offense in Marietta or other part of Cobb County.