Now that marijuana is beginning to be more widely used as more states legalize it, it’s important to keep in mind that you could still be charged with a DUI after smoking marijuana. Though marijuana will likely be completely legal to smoke in California in the next year or two, even without a prescription, it will never be legal to drive under the influence of marijuana.
Marijuana DUI considerations
Laws concerning marijuana and driving in California are still a bit murky because unlike alcohol, there’s no way to objectively gauge when someone ingested marijuana before driving. Someone could have smoked marijuana weeks ago, and some THC will still be present in their blood. So saying that anyone who has any marijuana in their system while driving should be charged with DUI would be completely ludicrous.
According to California law, though, you could be charged with DUI if you have marijuana in your system and you aren’t able to drive with the same competence and level of caution as a sober person would in the same situation.
Subjective marijuana testing
Determining whether someone is impaired by the marijuana or other substances in their system is often easier said than done, and officers who arrest people for intoxication can make mistakes. Sometimes someone’s normal behavior can be misinterpreted and they can get arrested for DUI when they weren’t not even slightly high at the time.
Defending against a marijuana DUI
If that happens to you, try not to freak out. Just call Southern California’s best DUI defense lawyer—Dan Chambers of the Chambers Law Firm. He’s worked on thousands of marijuana DUI cases throughout his multi-decade career, and he knows many excellent legal strategies to prevent a conviction from being issued in your case. Or if the evidence is really stacked against you, he’ll make sure you don’t get the maximum penalties.
All prospective clients are welcome to schedule a free case evaluation with Attorney Dan Chambers today by calling 714-760-4088, emailing dchambers@clfca.com, or by using the chat box below.
