DUI Drug Charges

Can You Get a DUI for Being High?

Published on: October 10, 2022 | by Patrick Barone

Many people ask us if you can get a DUI for being high. The answer is yes, you can get a DUI in Michigan for being high on Marijuana. If you use cannabis for medical or recreational purposes, you might wonder, “How do cops test for a weed DUI? Police officers will use the same kind of roadside tests used for one involving alcohol. So, from this perspective, there is little difference in a DUI with weed vs. alcohol.

What many drivers don’t realize is that you can be arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana even if you used it legally and hours earlier. Michigan law doesn’t set a legal limit for THC like it does for alcohol, so the decision to arrest often depends on the officer’s observations—things like your driving behavior, field sobriety test performance, and physical appearance. This creates a lot of legal gray areas, especially for people who use medical marijuana and may have residual THC in their system without being impaired.

Without getting to technical, one difference is that a DRE officer might be involved if the cops suspect marijuana impairment. Another difference is that there is currently no DUI breath test for weed.

Bond Violation Show Cause Hearings in Michigan

Published on: March 4, 2022 | by Barone Defense Firm

In a criminal case, after your arrest but before your conviction or acquittal, you will be on bond. There are several discretionary terms and conditions of pretrial release, and these will be determined during your first court appearance the arraignment. A show cause is what happens when someone does something on bond contrary to what’s been ordered.

The most common allegations of a bond violation that we see at the Barone Defense Firm related to alcohol and drug testing. Often, a client will miss a drug or alcohol test, which is the most common alleged bond violation, followed by a positive drug or alcohol test.

Bond Violations are Considered Contempt of Court

What Happens to Drivers License After MI DUI Arrest?

Published on: January 1, 2022 | by Patrick Barone

Immediately upon your arrest for DUI in Michigan the arresting officer notifies the Secretary of State. This happens when the arresting officer destroys your plastic driver’s license and prepares a DI-177, which is entitled “Breath Blood or Urine Report Michigan Temporary Driving Permit.” This document becomes your paper license and you will use it to drive until you are convicted or until your case is dismissed. A DI-177 is only prepared if you agree to take a breath or blood test when asked by the arresting officer.

If you refused to submit to a breath or blood test then the officer will prepare a DI-93, which is entitled “Report of Refusal.” This too becomes your paper license but is only good for 14 days or until after you win your appeal hearing. Because you are not allowed to refuse a breath or blood test your license will be suspended for a year unless your Michigan DUI lawyer demands a hearing within this 14-day period.

Your Driving Record Shows Your DUI Arrest Even Before Conviction

Michigan DUI Attorney Michael Boyle Moderates Legal Seminar on Blood Alcohol Testing

Published on: October 18, 2021 | by Barone Defense Firm

Michigan drivers arrested under suspicion of intoxicated driving will have their bodily drug and alcohol levels tested by the police. When drugs including marijuana are suspected, a police officer will see if that distinct marijuana smell is present. Many OWI lawyers near me wrongly believe that DUI cases involving blood tests can’t be defended. The Michigan DUI lawyers at the Barone Defense Firm alcohol, the police will take and test a blood sample. The forensic method used for blood testing is considerably more complicated. Our law firm however believe that in some ways blood test cases are easier to defend. This belief is born out of a comprehensive knowledge about this complex scientific method.

To help other lawyers understand forensic blood testing in DUI cases, the Michigan Association of OWI Attorneys (MIAOWIA) periodically presents seminars on this topic. Barone Defense Firm founding criminal defense attorney near me Patrick Barone, and Partner Michael Boyle, were both closely involved in the creation of MIAOWIA, and Mr. Boyle currently serves as an officer to the group.

As an example of Mr. Boyle’s expertise as well as his commitment to helping other lawyers get better at defending Michigan DUI cases involving blood test evidence, in early October 2021, he served as a host, moderator, and presenter for the Michigan Association of OWI Seminar on Blood Alcohol. Mr. Boyle is an original member of MIAOWIA, which is membership dedicated to the education and training of attorneys throughout the State of Michigan in the complex litigation and representation of individuals charged with Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol and/or Drugs.

How Long Should a Marijuana User Wait Before Safely Operating a Car?

Published on: May 7, 2021 | by Patrick Barone

It can be difficult for a marijuana user to subjectively assess their level of impairment. Even worse, there is no way for a marijuana user to objectively evaluate their level impairment. So, after consuming marijuana medically or recreationally, how can a marijuana user make a safe decision about driving?

This uncertainty is what makes marijuana-related DUI charges in Michigan so complicated. You may feel fine to drive, but under the law, it’s not how you feel—it’s how your behavior is perceived and how well you can perform critical driving tasks. Unlike alcohol, where we have clear BAC limits, marijuana impairment is subjective and varies from person to person. That means two people could consume the same amount of cannabis, and one could be legally impaired while the other may not be—yet both could be arrested depending on how they appear during a traffic stop.

Before we get to that question, let’s do a quick review of Michigan’s OWI laws as it relates to drugs. In Michigan, you can be charged (and potentially convicted) if you are either impaired or intoxicated by alcohol, drugs, or any combination thereof. Specifically, Michigan’s OWI law references impairment or intoxication caused by alcohol, controlled substance or “other intoxicating substance.” See Michigan Compiled Laws Sec. 257.625.

Barone Scheduled to Teach Michigan Criminal Defense Lawyers About New Roadside Drug Testing Laws

Published on: August 13, 2020 | by Barone Defense Firm

The Criminal Defense Attorney Association of Michigan (CDAM) has asked Michigan DUI Lawyer Patrick Barone to present a 1-hour Webinar to criminal defense lawyers seeking to learn about recent changes to Michigan law impacting how intoxicated driving cases are investigated at the roadside.

The seminar, entitled Michigan Law Update: Roadside Drug Testing – What You Need to Know, will include a detailed analysis of Michigan’s roadside saliva drug testing program. In this workshop, Mr. Barone will teach other lawyers how to address these preliminary screening tests in court, and how to avoid defense traps that may befall the unwary.

In recent years, law enforcement at all levels of government, State and National, have begun focusing on the investigation and arrest of drivers intoxicated by drugs other than alcohol. Interest in drugged driving has increased with the advent of medical and recreational marijuana, and the saliva swab roadside testing program is designed to facilitate drugged driving arrests.

Michigan’s Legalized Recreational Marijuana May Lead to More Impaired Driving Traffic Deaths

Published on: July 2, 2020 | by Ryan Ballard

A research letter recently published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal examined the correlation between the legalization of recreational marijuana and traffic fatalities. The letter’s authors Kamer & Warshafsky begin with the proposition that marijuana use impairs driving ability. The authors go on to suggests that because there is a correlation between an increase in traffic deaths and the legalization of recreational marijuana, impaired driving must be the cause. The authors of the letter reviewed data collected from four states: Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. The authors did not look at traffic deaths in Michigan because there isn’t enough data from Michigan yet.

The authors found that traffic deaths increased by 75 per year in Colorado. The authors did not find an increase in traffic deaths in Washington. Overall, the letter predicts that if every state fully legalizes marijuana, traffic deaths would increase by 6,800 every year in the United States. Time will tell whether Michigan will be like Colorado, and see a large increase in traffic deaths, or like Washington where there was no such increase. And time will also tell if any observed increase in Michigan is actually caused by marijuana impaired drivers. The impaired driving lawyers at the Barone Defense Firm note that correlation is not causation, and that the only thing this letter has established is correlation. The authors admit that much more research is needed on this topic, and that their findings were “mixed.”

What’s the difference between impaired by marijuana and under the influence of marijuana?

Michigan Roadside Saliva Testing for Marijuana Use Now in Use Statewide

Published on: May 5, 2020 | by Patrick Barone

A localized pilot program to allow Michigan police officers to test a driver’s saliva for the presence of marijuana has been expanded statewide. If you have used marijuana or cannabis containing products and then drive a motor vehicle in Michigan, you should be aware that roadside testing for marijuana use is now available to all law enforcement officers throughout the state.

An example of the kinds of units used in Michigan include the Alere™ DDS®2 Mobile Test System. According to the manufacturer’s website, the handheld unit is easy to use and produces accurate results. It can also analyze for up to six different drugs, including Marijuana.

In evaluating a driver, a police officer would correlate the results of a saliva test with all of the other observable signs of impairment, such as any observations made at the roadside, the driver’s performance on field sobriety testing, and any admissions made. If the officer believes, based on a combination of all of the evidence acquired at the roadside that probable cause exists to make an arrest, then the driver will be taken into custody and charged with DUI. While many people refer to these charges as DUI, in Michigan the crime is called OWI or operating while intoxicated.

Commission Recommends No Legal Limit for Marijuana in Michigan

Published on: April 3, 2019 | by Patrick Barone

The Impaired Driving Safety Commission (IDSC) has recently recommended that Michigan lawmakers take no action toward the creation of a legal limit for marijuana. In summary, the Commission believes that the science does not support a one size fits all legal limit threshold for drivers who have used marijuana.

The IDSC was established in 2017 by Michigan Compiled Laws sec. 28.793. According to subsection 2 of this law:

(2) The commission shall research and recommend a scientifically supported threshold of THC bodily content to provide evidence for per se impaired driving in this state. The commission shall exist until it submits the final report.

Slow Driving, Glazed Dilated Eyes and Odor Sufficient to Prove Marijuana Impairment

Published on: February 13, 2019 | by Patrick Barone

Michigan’s recreational and medical marijuana laws continue to be amended, modified and refined. These changes have helped to clarify many aspects of these laws, but when it comes to driving, a big unanswered question remains; how do the police and prosecutor prove impairment from Marijuana? There is no legal limit for marijuana, and many question the efficacy of field sobriety tests in reliably predicting intoxication.

At present, regarding this issue, Michigan’s recreational marijuana law, known formally as the Marihuana Cultivation and Taxation Act, indicates in sec. 4 only that Michigan law does not permit:

a) operating, navigating, or being in physical control of any motor vehicle, aircraft, snowmobile, off-road recreational vehicle, or motorboat while under the influence of marihuana; and b) consuming marihuana while operating, navigating, or being in physical control of any motor vehicle, aircraft, snowmobile, off-road recreational vehicle, or motorboat, or smoking marihuana within the passenger area of a vehicle upon a public way.