Police may soon be able to conduct roadside testing for impaired driving due to Marijuana and numerous other drugs.
Currently, drug and Marijuana DUI can only be detected in a driver’s blood stream through chemical testing such as DUI blood or urine tests. These methods are intrusive, and sometimes take weeks for the results to be processed.
The new hand-held drug DUI detection device was designed by scientists in Sweden and known as “SensAbues”. It works much like an alcohol breath test which requires the subject to breath into a mouthpiece to enable the filtration and entrapment of certain particles to be examined by police.
The device is said to provide instant results by analyzing a person’s breath samples. The methods used involve chromatography-mass spectrometry. The process isolates and detects specific chemicals and compounds that exist in a person’s airway, that are captured during exhalation of breathing. These bioaerosol particles are then collected and analyzed through a uniquely designed filtration method, to reveal compounds, metabolites or specific drugs found in a subject’s bodily system.
It was reported that the device can detect Marijuana, Cocaine, Valium, Heroin, Morphine, and a host of other drugs.
Critics of the new technology report that in at least one study 23 percent of the samples tested were incorrect, in that they revealed the existence of drugs that in fact, had not been used by the subject.
Other controversial results included those specified drugs were found in a person’s blood stream over 24 hours since the subject had taken them.
Despite the skepticism, the inventors and manufactures of the product claim that the device produces results that are legally defensible.
It may take some time and more studies before we see our local police and law enforcement agencies using this new technology for detection of drug DUI. But it is clear that Law Enforcement Agencies in Arizona are committed to expanding its DUI detection resources to include all state of the art available to combat and prosecute drug and alcohol impaired drivers.
Drug DUI Defense Attorney Scottsdale AZ
Arizona Criminal Code A.R.S. 28-1381, includes strict language regarding what constitutes a violation of DUI laws. Basically, any type of DUI is a serious criminal charge. In absence of aggravated factors, a DUI is categorized as a Class 1 Misdemeanor, which is the most serious of Misdemeanor crimes. DUI convictions carry many of the same harsh penalties as alcohol DUI convictions, which include jail terms; suspension of driving privileges; fines, fees, assessments; alcohol or substance abuse counseling, and other penalties.
If you were arrested for DUI in Scottsdale, whether you were in fact driving impaired or not, you have the right to defend your charges. The most effective way to defend your charges is to retain a qualified criminal defense attorney, experienced at defending drug or alcohol related impaired driving charges. They will evaluate your case to determine if your constitutional rights were violated; if the evidence against you is flawed or weak; or if any other defenses apply may be utilized that can lead to a favorable resolution of your case.
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