Pennsylvania Criminal Law Blog

There is definitely a major drug epidemic in Pennsylvania. In fact, you might say that certain drugs are problematic throughout the nation. Some drugs are more addictive than others. If you have ever suffered a muscle strain or other injury that caused chronic pain, your doctor may have diagnosed a pain relief medication that is among the types of drug most prone to addiction.

Perhaps you are currently battling a substance abuse problem. If so, you are definitely not alone in your struggle, as data from a single year shows that as many as 21 million people in the United States, ages 12 and beyond, have experienced similar challenges in their lives. Drugs can not only cause mental and physical health problems but legal trouble as well, in which case, it is critical that you know where to seek support.

If you've experienced a traffic stop in Pennsylvania, you know how disconcerting such situations can be. Nothing can ruin a nice night out with friends or even a daily commute worse than seeing those flashing patrol car lights in your rear view mirror. If a police officer has written a traffic ticket with your name on it, you're definitely not the first, nor will you be the last, to face the option of paying the fine or fighting the ticket in court.

If a police officer suspects you of drunk driving, that's a whole other ballgame. You may already know that DUI is far more serious than a speeding ticket, which is a traffic violation. If you face DUI charges in court, prosecutors are accusing you of a criminal offense, which may greatly impact your future in more ways than one. To determine probable cause for arrest, many police officers use field sobriety tests. The more you know about such tests, the better, as well as where to seek support, if needed.

If Pennsylvania police have ever stopped you at a random point along the road, perhaps while you were traveling to visit family for Thanksgiving or some other holiday, you know how frustrating it can be, especially if you were already running a bit behind schedule. Long lines of cars inching forward bumper-to-bumper while officers approach each driver's window asking questions may not be the exact scene you had in mind when looking forward to gathering with loved ones.

In fact, you may find yourself sitting behind the wheel, feeling as though the existence of the checkpoint invades your privacy. If so, you're definitely not the first person to question whether DUI checkpoints are legal or are undermining your Fourth Amendment rights.

Put simply, any substance you ingest breaks down into by-products called metabolites. Breath tests for alcohol-related DUIs can't actually measure the amount of alcohol in your blood. Instead, they measure two metabolites in the body. Measuring these by-products of alcohol works in these cases because it leaves your system quickly. This means that the presence of metabolites supposedly indicates how much alcohol remains in your system at a particular time.

What about drug-related DUIs and metabolites?