While East Lyme Drug DUIs get less attention than their alcohol counterpart, it is important to note that they do occur. It is important to note that in Connecticut towns such as East Lyme, it does not matter if the drug that a person is driving under the influence of is illicit, like cocaine or legally prescribed. All that matters is if it is an intoxicant and the person is deemed impaired by the police and other professionals. This is because the Connecticut statute that defines DUI does not make a distinction between legal and illegal drugs as it relates to operating a motor vehicle. You can learn more about East Lyme drug DUIs here.
The guidelines for driving when impaired by alcohol are much more simple and direct than for drug DUIs. This is because there are breathalyzers that can determine alcohol in a person’s system and there is a given threshold you cannot exceed. However, with drugs, there is no simple test like this.
Therefore, a much more invasive examination is needed and subjectively decided upon by an officer deemed an expert. This is because urine and blood samples will show drug use for a much longer period than that of the moment when driving, making these tests unreliable. Further, the wide variety of drugs and manner in which they interact with different people often makes it difficult to determine which drug, if any, a person is under the influence of.
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Not just any police officer may administer these examinations. It must be a drug recognition expert officer (DRE) trained and certified to perform them. The training is called Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and allows the officer’s assessment to be admitted into evidence should the driver be charged with an East Lyme drug DUI.
While the test is evolving and being better refined with time, at this time, it is a 12 step process. This process includes; the officer conducting a breathalyzer test and interviewing the arresting officer. Then the officer conducts a preliminary examination, followed by the first pulse check and an eye examination. The officer then instructs the suspect to perform a divided attention psychophysical test, and they will check the vital signs, followed by doing a second pulse check, and then examine the driver’s pupils. The officer then examines muscle tone while checking for injection marks, completes a third pulse check, and gets a statement from the suspect. Finally, the officer requests a toxicology examination and makes a determination regarding intoxication.
When a person is arrested for DUI, the consequences include jail time, probation, fines, substance abuse treatment, and ignition interlock requirements when the license is reinstated. This, coupled with the fact that drug intoxication detection is becoming ever more refined and more officers are being trained in becoming DREs make it imperative that if you are arrested for a drug-related DUI in East Lyme that you get help. To speak with a drug DUI defense attorney on these matters, contact Lady DUI today.
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