Driving and Illegal Narcotics

Driving under the influence of illegal narcotics is one of the most serious offenses in the world of moving violations. Many people tend to liken charges of driving under the influence of narcotics with DWI and DUI offenses. In reality, this is a foolish comparison because driving under the influence of narcotics comes with its own unique share of repercussions. It is important to understand that in such a situation, you are dealing with multiple charges. First, there’s the charge of driving under the influence of a substance that clearly impaired your ability to drive. Second, there’s the charge of actually possessing illegal narcotics. While driving under the influence of alcohol is strictly prohibited by law, the purchase of alcohol on its own is completely permissible provided that the party in question is 21 years of age or older. However, no person is allowed to use, possess, or transport illegal drugs, period, making driving under the influence of narcotics a much more serious crime.

So what exactly does the term “illegal narcotics” constitute? The concept refers to any sort of drug of which public use and possession is prohibited by law. Common examples include marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. The term “illegal narcotics” also covers any prescription medications that a person might be taking or carrying without a proper prescription in his name.

If you are caught driving under the influence of illegal narcotics, then you’ll need a good lawyer who is familiar with the intricacies relating to such a charge. Elliot Wiesner is a New Jersey attorney who has spent the past decade defending clients on a variety of traffic-related offenses, and he likes to stress that when illegal narcotics are introduced into the mix, it is imperative that an attorney be called upon for help. An experienced attorney can do his part to mitigate the charges involved and lessen the overall punishment. By combining a solid knowledge of the law with expert strategies, a smart attorney can help a client in such a situation come away with the most favorable outcome possible given the circumstances. In some cases, an attorney will fight to get a client placed into a rehabilitation center to deal with his narcotics issue, an option that most would agree is far better than serving time in prison.

It is especially important to enlist the help of an attorney if you are charged with driving under the influence of narcotics for the first time. Certain provisions are applicable to first-time drug offenders that only an experienced attorney is likely to know about. In order to use such conditions to your advantage, you’ll need an attorney to argue your case and prove that such provisions truly apply to you. Since these special stipulations might allow the charged party to be put on probation instead of serving jail time, it would be rather imprudent for a person to pass up the opportunity to receive such a reduced punishment.

Every driver, at one point or another, is bound to make some sort of mistake on the road. However, if your mistake happens to be a serious one such as driving under the influence of illegal narcotics, then you’ll need to get help in order to be able to put the incident behind you. By hiring an experienced attorney, you’ll be doing your part to lessen the chances that one bad move results in severe consequences that end up affecting the rest of your life.