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DC DUI Drug Lawyer

If you have been arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs in the District of Columbia, contact a Washington, DC DUI drug lawyer as soon as possible to learn about your options.

Our DC DUI drug attorneys understand what it takes to represent clients in these types of cases, and we have a great deal of litigation experience in the District of Columbia court system. Contact our law offices today to speak with a DUI attorney in DC to learn about the initial steps you can take to prepare your defense.

How a DC DUI Drug Attorney Can Help

When your DC DUI drug lawyer is looking at a driving under the influence of drugs case, the most important thing your attorney can do is challenge the evidence that the prosecutor plans on using to demonstrate that you were under the influence of a drug.

A DC DUI drug attorney can look for possible challenges regarding the results of your urine test or possible challenges regarding the results of your blood test. Your attorney will want to try to prove the tests were done in violation of your constitutional rights, the method by which the government conducted those tests was reliable, and that the facts of the case prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you are not guilty of the crime.

In the event that there is evidence that is unfavorable, a defense attorney will try to find a way to challenge it. The attorney will try to figure out whether the situation can be mitigated and whether the penalties can be reduced based on any favorable circumstances or factors.

Required Proof in a Drug DUI Case

In a drug DUI case, the District of Columbia will need to prove the same factors that they need to prove in an alcohol-related DUI case. They will need to prove that a person was operating a motor vehicle or was in physical control of that motor vehicle. This means that the government does not need to prove you were actually driving your car. All they need to prove is that you had the ability to exercise control over your vehicle.

Even if a person was asleep with the car off, if the person was in the front seat of a car with the keys in the ignition, then that person is considered to still be in physical control of that car even though the car was not on. An experienced DC DUI drug lawyer can defend a person accused of this.

The prosecutors will also need to prove that the suspect was impaired to an appreciable degree by alcohol, drugs, medication, or any combination of the three. They can do this by providing the results of field sobriety tests or chemical tests, or they can use observation. For example, officers frequently testify about many of the following observations:

  • How the person reacted to questions
  • How the person smelled
  • How the person acted
  • Whether the person had red or glassy eyes
  • Whether the person had the ability to understand or comprehend normal requests, such as a request to provide a driver’s license or a request to provide insurance information or registration

Any combination of these pieces of evidence can be put together to establish that reasonable doubt did not exist and that the person was under the influence of alcohol, drugs, medication, or a combination of the three.

Importance of Hiring An Attorney

It is extremely important for a person to hire a DC DUID attorney immediately after being arrested. A lawyer who is experienced specifically with these types of cases will be intimately familiar with the procedures a person should follow and can make recommendations for the person to enroll in alcohol treatment or education classes even before a trial takes place. These steps along with obtaining copies of certified driving records and scheduling administrative hearings will help put those accused in the most favorable position moving forward.