Can You Be Charged With a DUI for Using Prescription Medication?

People in the Dayton are arrested and charged with a DUI for a lot of reasons. Sometimes, people have simply had too much to drink. However, there are many other situations in which people are arrested when they aren’t really drunk at all. Drugs can have the same kinds of affects on people’s cognitive abilities that alcohol, does, including prescription medications. Some people take their medication and don’t realize how badly it can actually affect them. In other instances, people mistakenly take the wrong dosage of prescription medication, or combine it with another medication, which can also impair them significantly.

Most people who end up being convicted of driving under the influence have either been drinking alcohol or they have taken an illegal substance. However, anyone who drives impaired from legal drugs, including prescription medication, could also be charged and convicted of driving under the influence. While most people who drive impaired from prescription medication do so because of an honest mistake or a simple misunderstanding, they are still breaking the law and they could face the same penalties as a drunk driver would face.

According to Ohio law regarding OVI, “No person shall operate any vehicle within this state if, at the time of the operation…the person is under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them.” The law does list several illegal drugs and the amounts for which they are prohibited. However, it does not list the prohibited amounts for prescription drugs such as Vicadin or Percocet, but prescription medications can be considered “a drug of abuse.” In any case, even if a driver contends that he or she was following the doctor’s order and that he/she did not intend to cause any harm, the fact still remains that if a driver is legally intoxicated from prescription medication then he/she can be convicted and sentenced for DUI/OVI in Ohio.

Regardless of the reason, if you are facing drunk riving charges of any kind in the Dayton area then you need to seek the help of an experienced defense attorney. DUI charges are always serious and they should never be taken lightly even if you were driving under the influence of prescription medication. Please contact The VanNoy Firm today if you have been arrested for any kind of alcohol-related driving offense. We will fight for your rights and be your voice throughout the entire legal process. Please contact us today at 937-952-5043, or click here.