Did you know you can be charged with a DUI for having just a trace amount of drugs in your system? Just Criminal Law's Christina Williams explains Wyoming law and how to be prepared if you are arrested.
Hey everybody, Christina Williams with Just Criminal Law. It's all we do.
When most people think about a DUI, they think about an alcohol-related DUI, but did you know you can be charged with a DUI with certain drugs in your system?
And Wyoming has a zero-tolerance law. So, even if you don't feel impaired and you're not under the influence of the drug, you could still be in big legal trouble.
Making it even worse and a little more confusing, the states around Wyoming have different laws related to drugged DUIs.
So in other states, they'll actually measure the amount of controlled substance in your blood.
Where in Wyoming, it's either present, or it's not present, and if its present, you could face a DUI.
So imagine this— you're down in Colorado, having fun with your friends. You smoke some marijuana on Friday night.
You head back to Wyoming on Monday. As you enter into Wyoming, a snowstorm hits, and the roads become slick in spots.
The car in front of you spins out of control, causing you to have an accident.
The next thing you know, the police arrive, and they're asking a lot of questions.
You tell them you smoked marijuana on Friday night, thinking, that's not illegal, I was in Colorado.
The next thing you know, the officer’s having you run through field sobriety tests, and you're not doing very well. He can't decide whether or not it's because you had an accident or because you're under the influence of something.
So he arrests you, takes you to the police station, and asks you to do more tests, including a blood test.
Believe it or not, the results in the blood tests come back positive for marijuana.
Now, you're facing hefty fines, probation, and jail time.
All because that metabolites stuck around in your system much longer than alcohol would have.
If you find yourself in this situation, I want you to remember two things. Number one— don't talk.
But if you feel like you need to say something, you can simply say, I don't want to discuss my day. And remember, it's your right to say nothing.
Then number two— call a lawyer. Just mentioning to the police officer that you'd like a lawyer signals to him to stop the questioning.
And an additional tip— when you call a lawyer, call Just Criminal Law because it's all we do.
If you found this video helpful, click the link for more information on our website.
I know after defending people for 15 years, you only get one shot at justice. So make it count.
