Prescription Medication
Driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a very broad term that is not limited to just alcohol consumption. Prescription drugs and illegal drugs are two things that can serve to severely impair your driving and also end in a DWI conviction. That’s right, even legally prescribed prescription drugs can lead to a DWI conviction in New Jersey if they are found to impair your ability to drive safely.
Some prescription drugs that may lead to a DWI include:
- Painkillers and muscle relaxants
- Cough syrup
- Allergy medications
- Sleeping pills
- Antidepressants
- Migraine medications
Sure, these prescriptions may be important for your health, but they are detrimental to your New Jersey driving record if found in your system during a blood or urine test while on suspicion of a DWI. In these types of DWI cases, it is also common for the police to bring in a drug recognition expert (DRE) to try to identify what prescription medications may be in your system. The results of a urine or blood test are by far the most powerful pieces of evidence the prosecution will have against you. There are, however many viable defenses that serve to question the reliability of such evidence, including: inconclusive DRE, technician error, contamination and chain of custody issues.
If convicted of a DWI for prescription drugs, you will face: heavy fines (including three years of New Jersey surcharges), jail time, probation, community service, drug education classes and an increase in your insurance premiums. Furthermore, it is common for employment and education applications to ask whether you have ever been convicted of a DWI/DUI, something you will have to answer yes to go forward. As you can see, a DWI conviction is not something that goes away when all the fines and penalties are paid and served. Working with an experienced New Jersey DWI attorney can help eliminate or reduce the charges against you.
As a former DWI prosecutor and DWI public defender, I know both sides of the law and all the relevant defenses in your New Jersey DWI case. I have successfully had hundreds of DWI/DUI cases dismissed or reduced and have the experience you want on your side! If you have recently been charged with a DWI because of controlled substances or drugs in your system, do not accept the charges against you without putting up a fight! Give me a call today at 877-676-7729 to discuss the details of your case, your first consultation is always free. I look forward to speaking with you!