Prescription Opioids and a DUI in Atlanta – Legal Risks You Didn’t Know About

Prescription Opioids and a DUI in Atlanta – Legal Risks You Didn’t Know About

Georgia residents may be shocked to learn that taking legally prescribed drugs such as Xanax or Ativan, muscle relaxants such as carisoprodol and cyclobenzaprine or even over-the-counter medicines could result in DUI charges. Even taking an over-the-counter drug could count against an individual under Georgia law if taking it makes them less safe when driving a motor vehicle. This applies equally for prescription and over-the-counter drugs alike.

Legal Risks You Didn?t Know About

If you take medication for an underlying medical condition, you may not realize it could affect your driving. Even though its labels state “Do not operate machinery”, law enforcement can still charge you with DUI-Drugs if they determine that your drug levels have enough of an effect on your driving to reduce visibility or impair control of the vehicle.

Georgia law does not distinguish between illegal and legally prescribed drugs; an officer can charge you with DUI-Drugs if any substance impairs your ability to drive safely – regardless of its source or dosage.

Blood tests for medication can be deceiving as the body can retain drug levels indefinitely until flushed from its system by flushing. Furthermore, multiple drugs interacting can alter their respective concentration levels in your system – our Atlanta prescription drug DUI attorneys understand these complexities well and know how to challenge expert witnesses called by prosecution in court proceedings.

Legal Risks You Should Know About

Many are surprised to learn that they can be charged with DUI when taking legally prescribed medications such as Vicodin or Demerol. Under Georgia DUI laws, no distinction can be drawn between street drugs and these legal medications; if one impairs driving ability then they could still be found guilty of DUI even if their label states “do not operate heavy machinery while taking this medication”, “do not take this medication while driving”, etc.

Prescription pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and anti-anxiety medicines like Xanax and Ativan may impair your judgment, slow reaction time, or cause drowsiness. Even over-the-counter cough syrups and antihistamines may have an impactful impact, especially when taken together.

To prove prescription drug DUI, the State must establish that you were impaired to such an extent that driving safely was unwise. Police often rely on field experience and instinct when making this determination; as such it’s vitally important that your defense team knows therapeutic drug levels well in order to provide expert opinions that disprove such claims.

Legal Risks You Shouldn’t Know About

Many individuals don’t realize that DUI charges in Georgia can be filed based on having certain levels of drugs (or their metabolites) present in their bloodstream, even if those drugs were legally prescribed.

Georgia law makes it illegal to drive while under the influence of any drug – including prescription – that impairs your driving ability or causes you to lose control of a vehicle. Prescription painkillers and muscle relaxers, anti-anxiety medication, cough syrups and antihistamines all potentially have side effects that make operating one less safe.

DUI drug charges can be just as serious as alcohol-related ones and could result in jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, and mandatory drug abuse treatment programs – yet often good defenses exist, particularly if police mistakenly thought you were unsafe to drive or did not have probable cause to pull you over.

Legal Risks You Shouldn’t Take

Many are unaware that prescription medication use can result in being charged with driving under the influence (DUI). Although most associate the term with alcohol consumption, Georgia law penalizes anyone operating a vehicle while under the influence of any substance which affects mental faculties – this includes legal drugs like opioids and benzodiazepines like Valium, Ativan or Xanax.

As there is no set per se limit for prescription drug impairment, police officers rely on their judgment and assumptions alone when making arrest decisions for someone suspected of driving under the influence of prescription medication. Unfortunately, such decisions can lead to unwarranted arrests due to police officer relying solely on one assumption to make their determinations.

Our Atlanta DUI lawyers can assist in your defense by challenging any assumptions and judgment calls made by law enforcement in regards to your behavior, and highlight any medical or personal factors which may have led to it, which in turn affected your ability to drive safely.