Fox 10
Arizona court rules on DUI law for marijuana users
A valley man pulled over by police for a traffic violation told officers that he had smoked marijuana the night before.Blood tests later confirmed marijuana compounds in his system, but not the ones that would leave him impaired the next day. Despite the evidence, he was charged with DUI.
A ruling Tuesday by the Arizona Supreme Court is going to clear up a gray area in DUI laws that didn’t differentiate which compounds of the drug make someone impaired.
The justices typically take two months to rule on a case but they took nearly five months to decide this case. The justices ruling says that someone cannot be charged with DUI just for having traces of marijuana in their blood which can remain for weeks after they’ve used it.
The Arizona Supreme Court ruling is a victory for valley attorney Michael Alarid III. He argued the case before the justices on behalf of his client
who was pulled over in 2010 and charged with DUI for having traces of marijuana metabolite in his system.
“So for him it means his case is dismissed and he is no longer subject to prosecution for it. For anyone who is in the same boat it means dismissal of their case as well,” said Alarid III. Continue reading
