Blog Posts in September, 2014

DUI Field Tests

The intoxication field tests are an important piece of evidence in your case. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has approved three field tests for use in DUI arrests and prosecutions. Despite the fact that the arresting officer nearly always testifies that the defendant “failed” the tests, regardless of the defendant’s performance, an experienced Denver DUI defense lawyer ...

How do Colorado police test for stoned driving?

Ever since Colorado residents voted to legalize recreational marijuana, road safety advocates have become increasingly concerned about a rise in driving under the influence of marijuana and what effect, if any, this trend might have on fatal traffic accidents. The state currently defines 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood as the threshold for when stoned driving occurs. And while debate ...

Which drugs present the greatest risk to drivers?

Ever since Colorado voted to approve recreational use of marijuana, debates over the implications of legalization have only continued to intensify -- and with so little hard data to draw on, the camps both for and against legalization are essentially moving in uncharted waters now. What exactly constitutes stoned driving? What amount of marijuana determines intoxication? How long after inhalation ...

Study: Teen alcohol and drug use has dropped over past decade

A new federal study finds that drug and alcohol use among American teens has fallen over the past 10 years. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) surveyed 70,000 people age 12 and up. According to the annual poll, rates of alcohol use between ages 12 and 17 fell to 11.6 percent in 2013, from 13 percent in 2012. Binge drinking rates also dropped from 7 percent ...

2 reasons why it's hard to link marijuana legalization to stoned driving

Both before and after Colorado residents voted to legalize recreational marijuana use, one of the chief arguments of the anti-legalization camp was that access to the drug would create a spike in frequencies of stoned driving. Naturally, if more people are able to buy and smoke marijuana, then surely that would have to mean more people are driving under the influence of marijuana. But even though ...

Studies: More American women than men are driving drunk

Research conducted over the last few years points to a disturbing new trend: More women across the United States are driving drunk, and at higher rates than men. According to news affiliate WCPO-9, female drunkenness in America grew by 18 percent between 2003 and 2012. During that same nine-year period, the number of female DUI cases increased by over 20 percent. In the last six years alone, there ...

The DMV License Suspension Hearing

The most important time period in your DUI defense is the first seven days after your arrest. One of the things that happens in those first few days is your opportunity to request a license suspension hearing. Experienced Denver DUI defense attorneys do not overlook the DMV hearing, and the opportunity that it provides to enhance your defense. Your driver license can be suspended if you refuse to ...