Tag: DUI Lawyer

Marijuana and Alcohol Combine to Affect Driving Performance

The February 5, 2021 issue of Psychopharmacology published data from a Canadian study assessing the effect of both THC and alcohol on driving performance. Regular users of cannabis participated in simulated driving sessions after smoking marijuana (12.5% THC) and drinking alcohol (target breath alcohol 0.08%). Researchers discovered the driving performance after ingesting both marijuana and alcohol “was significantly greater than the effect of each drug by itself.”  This included the test subjects’ reaction time as well as their ability to maintain speed and lateral position.  The suggested additive effect of marijuana and alcohol on driving performance is consistent with prior […]

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Farm On!

Adams County, Iowa.  An Adams County farmer will keep farming thanks to GRL Law’s 12-step OWI defense review of his operating while intoxicated case.  GRL Law’s review of the case revealed that the preliminary breath test unit that was used to initially test our client had been calibrated with an alcohol standard that had expired eight months earlier.  Further investigation also revealed that the officer had not received the required updated training certification required to operate the DataMaster breath test machine used to test GRL Law’s client at the police department.  All of this allowed for GRL Law to exclude […]

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THC Levels Do Not Predict Driving Impairment

The February 5, 2021 issue of Traffic Injury Prevention published results from an Australian study assessing the relationship between THC levels and driving performance.   Volunteers consumed vaporized cannabis samples of varying potencies containing THC, CBD and a placebo.  Blood and saliva samples were collected 30 minutes after inhalation and 3.5 hours later.  Researchers evaluated driving performance on a simulator. Nearly half of the participants failed to show driving impairment after 30 minutes despite showing THC levels above the per se limits, e.g., 5 ng/ml.  Several participants did show impairment at the 3.5 hour mark, but their THC levels were below […]

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GRL Saves CDL with DOT WIN

The drug defense attorneys at GRL Law prove once again that preparation is everything when it comes to implied consent testing and DOT administrative hearings.  This is especially true when it involves professional CDL drivers and forensic drug testing. In this case, a DOT officer assigned to an I-35 weigh station in North Iowa believed he had reasonable grounds to invoke implied consent and request a urine sample under Iowa Code section 321J.6 based on the discovery of a small amount of marijuana and an admission to smoking the previous evening.  When the sample came back positive for non-impairing metabolites […]

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Commercial Truck Driver Charged with OWI sees charges amended to Speeding

Polk County, Iowa- A commercial truck driver was stopped for an inspection of his vehicle.  The inspection turned up no evidence of illegal substances, but the driver, who was from out of state, was suspected of operating while under the influence.  The officer who conducted the investigation ultimately concluded that the driver must’ve been under the influence of a controlled substance.  The driver consented to provide a sample of his urine.  After drinking many cups of water, he was unable to urinate and the officer marked him as a refusal.  He was charged with OWI based in large part upon […]

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OWI and Child Endangerment Charges Dismissed

A Dubuque County woman was charged with OWI and two counts of child endangerment after her estranged husband called the cops on her after they got into a verbal argument while swapping visitation of their children.  When officers arrived the husband advised that he wanted them to check his wife to see if she had been drinking, despite him not smelling alcohol or observing any signs that she had been drinking.  Three law enforcement agencies arrived at her residence and spoke with her.  Despite none of them smelling an odor of alcohol or making any observations that led them to […]

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Suppression of Urine Test Result Leads to OWI Dismissal WIN

Northwood, Worth County, Iowa.  The district court in Worth County granted the State’s motion to dismiss the charge of OWI, but not before suppressing the results of a urine test. A thorough review of traffic stop and implied consent videos revealed several issues that were briefed by the drugged driving attorneys at GRL Law, including whether: The deputy lacked reasonable suspicion to detain the driver; The deputy unreasonably prolonged the traffic stop to await a drug dog; The drug dog trespassed onto the vehicle turning the “free air sniff” into an unreasonable search; The handler cued the drug dog to […]

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