Driving under the influence of any drug, even medical marijuana, can get you into lots of trouble!

So you got pulled over and a cop decided that you were high on something or other. Not drunk, mind you, but under the influence of an illicit substance. Which is actually not any better than being drunk, as far as the cops are concerned. (And yes, that includes marijuana, even if it’s legal here in Michigan and you’re a legal patient!)

Being arrested for drugged driving is a big deal in Michigan.

According to the National Traffic Safety Administration, there are more drivers with drugs in their systems than drunk drivers on the road at any given time. Whether that’s legal or illegal drugs, prescription or street drugs, there are more drivers out there right now, tooling around on the roads with drugs in their systems than there are drunk drivers. So you would think there would be some foolproof way to be see whether a driver is under the influence.

There isn’t a roadside test for drugged driving, like the drunk driving test!

BAC (blood alcohol content) testing for drunk driving, which usually makes use of a breath test machine, like the DataMaster, sometimes referred to as a Breathalyzer, allows cops to determine if a driver is drunk within minutes of pulling them over. Sure, it isn’t always correct, and accuracy can be affected by a lot of factors. But it gives officers a relatively reliable way to check if a driver has been drinking. Not so for drivers who are high, though.

How does a cop tell if you’re under the influence of drugs?

Here in Michigan, if you’re suspected of being under the influence of an illicit substance when a cop pulls you over, you have to be observed and checked by a trained ‘drug recognition expert’. What’s that? It’s a cop whose been through a specific training program offered by the Michigan State Police that “enhances an officers ability to identify, evaluate, and document suspected drug impairment.” In other words, it’s a cop whose been trained to recognise the signs of drug use.

Are DRE’s really experts, and do they ever get it wrong?

Sure they do! After all, they’re human, and human error accounts for a lot of the world’s mistakes. Just look at the huge lawsuit filed in Georgia last year, where multiple sober people were declared “under the influence of drugs” by DREs and then arrested. In the end, those cases were all thrown out of court, but not before those people’s lives got turned upside down, and they spent thousands in court costs and fees.

Being arrested for drugged driving in Michigan means trouble!

If you’ve been arrested for drugged driving in Michigan, then it means you were observed by a DRE and determined to be under the influence of drugs. That doesn’t mean you were actually high, it just means someone decided that you looked high, or acted like you were high. So there’s always the chance that they got it wrong. So call The Kronzek Firm’s experienced drunk and drugged driving defense attorneys at 866 766 5245, and get the help you need to fight these allegations! We’re available 24/7, including weekends and holidays at 1 866 7NoJail.