DUI on Steroids in Fort Myers

You’re on your way home from the gym when a police officer pulls you over for a broken taillight. You’re totally sober, so you agree to a blood test. Suddenly, you’re behind bars for a DUI. The authorities say you had steroids in your system at the time of the traffic stop. Can this really lead to criminal charges? Could a Fort Myers DUI lawyer help you fight potential penalties?

Prosecutors May Attempt to Prove the Steroids Impaired Your Ability to Drive

Under Florida law, any level of intoxication by a controlled substance can lead to a DUI charge. While prosecutors must prove that your BAC level was above 0.08 in a case involving alcohol, there is no clear-cut limitation when it comes to drugs. The only requirement for a charge is the presence of a controlled substance in your bloodstream.

That said, prosecutors must still prove that the steroids impaired your ability to drive. This isn’t always easy, as steroids may not cause the same type of mind-altering or judgment-changing effects as other drugs. Prosecutors may struggle to establish that the steroids made you drive more dangerously unless you had a seriously high concentration of these drugs in your system.

That being said, steroids have been linked with heightened aggression, mood swings, rage, and similar behaviors. If your DUI involves “road rage” or some kind of aggressive conduct behind the wheel, prosecutors may attempt to argue that this was caused by the steroids in your system. This could potentially lead to a DUI charge.

A study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) studied the effects of steroids on driving and found no detectable increases in aggressive behavior behind the wheel. This challenges the notion that steroids are responsible for “road rage” like behavior.

You Could Still Face Charges for Steroid Possession

Although you might escape penalties for driving with steroids in your system, you could still face criminal charges for possessing these drugs in Florida. If police search your vehicle and discover anabolic steroids, they may ask where you got them. If you do not have a valid prescription, you could be charged with possession of a Schedule III controlled substance.

This is a third-degree felony in Florida with a maximum prison sentence of five years. If you find yourself in this situation, you might want to contact a lawyer. A defense attorney could challenge your charges in various ways, perhaps by attacking the constitutionality of the vehicle search.

Can a Fort Myers DUI Lawyer Help Me? 

A Fort Myers DUI lawyer may be able to help if you’re facing charges due to your steroid use. Prosecutors may try to argue that your steroid use impaired your ability to drive. However, an experienced defense attorney could push back against these allegations and help you avoid penalties. Learn more by contacting The Foley & Wilson Law Firm today.

Sources:

 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9366978/

leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0800-0899/0893/Sections/0893.13.html