California Vehicle Code §23152 makes it a crime to drive when you are impaired by either alcohol or drugs. Moreover, there is no distinction between legal or illegal drugs. Taking any substance that can impair your physical or mental abilities can lead to a drug DUI charge. Even taking over-the-counter cold medicine can result in a driving under the influence of drugs charge. If you are facing a DUI drug charge you need to speak to an Orange DUI attorney immediately.

Because there is no “legal limit” to driving under the influence of drugs, DUI drug cases are often more difficult than alcohol DUIs for the DA to prosecute and easier for an Orange DUI attorney to defend. In a DUI drug case the District Attorney (DA) must prove that you were “under the influence of a drug to the point where you could not operate a vehicle with the same caution characteristic of a sober person of ordinary prudence, under the same or similar circumstances.” In order to convict you of DUI drugs, the DA must prove this beyond any reasonable doubt. Thus, the sole issue is whether the driver was impaired and there is no magic number like there is in alcohol cases.

Proving A Drug DUI

The evidence of “impairment” usually comes in the form of the field sobriety tests, your driving pattern, and your physiological characteristics, such as pupil size, heart rate, and blood pressure. A skilled Orange DUI defense attorney will often be able to expose the weaknesses in this evidence and raise considerable doubt as to whether you meet the legal definition of impairment. There are usually many possible explanations for the “signs and symptoms” of drug impairment—nervousness, illness, injury, and lack of sleep will often produce the same signs and symptoms. Thus, if you have been accused of driving under the influence of drugs, it is vital that you consult with an experienced Orange drunk driving attorney.

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