Dale City DUI Drug Tests

There is nothing exactly like a preliminary breath test when detecting someone being under the influence like with most alcohol DUI cases, but there are some things that can be done at the scene to determine whether somebody is under the influence of drugs in DUI cases. There is always a urine test or a blood test that can be done at the station, which is where the breathalyzer itself is done as well. That will show what drugs are in that person’s system and what amount of drugs are in the person’s system.

Drug testing is a common step in Dale City DUI drug cases, and if you are facing charges and may want to contest a test, you should contact a DUI drug attorney who will be able to build your DUI defense.

Test Administration

People who administer these tests are medical professionals who are usually in the employment of the police. The length of time to get the test results depends on the test but it is usually within a few hours, if not less time.

These tests can pick up substances like allergy medications that are legal. Even if a substance itself is not illegal, sometimes driving under the influence of that substance is illegal because the substance is found to have caused a person to be driving erratically.

Types of Drugs Tested

In drug DUI cases, marijuana is commonly drug tested for Dale City DUIs and not specifically because marijuana is common itself outside of driving. Marijuana use is on the rise even in Virginia where it is still illegal. It has been decriminalized in DC, where many people may drive through Virginia to get to.

Other substances that are pretty common are things that are legal, such as prescription medication, specifically sleeping pills or anti-anxiety medications that have a fast-forward effect. These types of drugs are often commonly found in somebody’s system especially early in the morning when people are driving after a night’s sleep and the drugs have not quite worn off yet.

Similarly, stimulants are often in somebody’s system. Adderall is a popular one. There are also instances where—especially if people are driving at high speeds—cocaine and other adrenaline-inducing illegal substances are commonly found in cases where individuals are driving fast, who are attempting to leave police. Usually, those are coupled with much more dangerous driving behaviors, but it is going to depend on a case-by-case basis. Those are some of the more common drugs in Dale City that are tested in DUI cases.

Test Accuracy

Tests are mostly very accurate. There are specific methods that the medical professionals have to follow in order to go ahead and get this read-out. These types of tests are not improbable. There are specific medical procedures that people who are taking samples of blood or urine must follow in order for their test and for test results to be considered accurate.

However, these specific tests are not improbable. There are definitely ways that these tests can mess up and provide error results. It is certainly the way that the tests are administered, the way the blood is drawn, how much blood is drawn, how the blood is handled, and whether the chain of custody is intact. All these things are examples of events that could lead to questioning as to accuracy and reliability of the blood sample and the blood sample analysis during a DUI drug test in Dale City.

Drug Testing Gone Wrong

Some ways Dale City drug tests can go wrong would be if the samples were compromised, if the chain of evidence is not being seen—for example, if it is exposed to other elements, exposed to other samples, the needles are not sterilized properly, the individuals do not get the right amount of blood taken out, or they do not run it for the right amount of seconds.

Because it is such a technically specific procedure, there are certain rules that have to be followed and certain orders, and if those rules are not followed, then there could definitely be room for doubt. In addition, the training of the medical professional who is administering these blood sample draws or the urinalysis sample collection requires them to take things in a specific and certain way. If they do not do that, then that would cause issues as far as whether the evidence is compromised or whether it is going to be able to be analyzed correctly.

Changing Trends

A likely trend in testing with shifting regulations on marijuana that is going to happen is that the same group that standardized and released the guidelines for field sobriety tests for alcohol-related DUIs is going to do a more in-depth study of marijuana, specifically in addition to other drugs if they have not done so already.

Then, based on that, they are going to release a separate set of field sobriety tests for people that police officers think are under the influence of drugs, and that is much more accurate. It stands up in court as a more reliable indicator of whether somebody is under the influence of drugs.