Marijuana is now legal in Meriden and throughout the state of Connecticut. However, this does not mean that you can have marijuana any time, anywhere. There is a legal age minimum in order to be able to buy and possess marijuana in Connecticut, much as there is an age restriction when it comes to buying alcohol. You also can’t possess or consume marijuana in certain places, such as on or near school property. Finally, keep in mind that if you are going to operate a motor vehicle, it is best to abstain from consuming marijuana. It is still illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana, just as it is illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol. Even though both substances are legal, impaired driving still poses a safety risk to the general public and is therefore illegal. Here, you can learn more about what happens if the police suspect you of driving under the influence of marijuana in Meriden.
The police will oftentimes stop drivers who are not following the rules of the road. In some cases, this may be the result of driving under the influence of marijuana. However, the classic signs of driving under the influence of alcohol do not always indicate impairment due to marijuana. Oftentimes, the police will stop a driver for an unrelated traffic violation and then suspect marijuana impairment. This may be the result of confused talking, red eyes, or other potential symptoms. Of course, these symptoms may be the result of something else, and a lawyer may be able to argue this on your behalf given your specific situation.
If there is any amount of marijuana or its metabolites in a driver’s system, they can be charged with DUI under the per se law. Right now, Connecticut does not employ a “legal limit” of marijuana. So, any amount of marijuana can lead to a DUI charge. However, a marijuana DUI defense lawyer could argue that even if you had marijuana in your system, it was not impairing your ability to drive.
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Determining if someone is impaired by marijuana is more complex than determining marijuana impairment. This is because there are no reliable standardized field sobriety tests for marijuana. In addition, marijuana in the blood or urine does not always mean impairment. Metabolites can stay in the system for days or even weeks after consumption. This may mean that marijuana was in your system, but not actively effecting you at the time you were driving.
In Meriden, the penalties for marijuana DUI are the same for alcohol DUI. This includes potential jail time, fines, probation, a driver’s license suspension, use of an ignition interlock device upon the reinstatement of the license, participation in a drug education program, etc. While a driver convicted of marijuana DUI may not face all of these penalties, they could face some of them.
To minimize the impact of a charge and fight a conviction, it is a good idea to have a marijuana DUI defense lawyer on your side. Our team has handled marijuana DUIs before and can assist you through this process.
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