California DUI Law – Is Cannabis Included?

It is hard to deny that our society often contradicts itself in a number of ways. For instance alcohol and tobacco are both readily available on just about every corner and people can drink or smoke cigarettes at just about any time. On the other hand, marijuana, which is far from being just as dangerous and detrimental as the above-mentioned substances, is deemed as an illegal drug and is prohibited in most of the states. With that said, some people, who may be suffering from certain diseases and illnesses, are often eligible for cannabis usage and get special medicinal marijuana cards that permit them to buy pot for personal usage. These people often want to know if they are going to be arrested for driving under the influence if some dosage of cannabis still remains in their blood. Even though it may seem absurd, in a situation when you were not driving while being high on pot, you can still be arrested for DUI if a certain percentage of cannabis will be found in your blood or urine samples. No medicinal marijuana card will help you in a situation like this one.

It is quite strange how some marijuana in your blood could be equal to drinking a couple of beers on your way home. Consuming alcohol and driving is the most dangerous thing imaginable. Alcohol makes you completely lose control over your actions and changes your behavior in an incredibly drastic way. Marijuana may produce some mental effects that may affect your driving. Getting behind the wheel while being high is also a very unwise idea. Nevertheless, cannabis can be found in one’s blood or urine samples even days after the actual usage. This basically means that you could be taken into custody and accused in driving under the influence even if you are not technically high.

So what are the legal consequences of such an arrest? Well, to begin with, in case it is your first DUI situation, it is going to be considered a misdemeanor. Should you break that law for the second time within 7 years after the first arrest, the crime will be considered a genuine felony. As for the misdemeanor, you can avoid jail time in case you are going to follow the court’s orders, such as DUI school, a certain sum in fines, Victim Impact Panel, driver’s license suspension for 3 months and so on. Nevertheless, if someone was severely injured or killed in an accident that was produced due to your actions and they found some cannabis in your blood, be prepared to face dire consequences, as your crime will be considered a felony.

Still, if it is your first time breaking the law and you did not cause any accident whatsoever, you can count on a much softer verdict, especially if you have a qualified lawyer by your side. That is right – only an experienced attorney, who had to deal with similar cases in the past, will be able to help you avoid any legal consequences whatsoever. After all, the DUI law is far from being perfect and many people get actual sentences for nothing. A qualified criminal lawyer in Los Angeles will not let something like this happen to you, so do not hesitate to get in touch with an actual expert, who actually knows what he is doing and who will support you in legal terms at all time.