Law enforcement officials in Kentucky
report a major prescription-drug problem among drivers. One
police chief said that more than half of his DUI (Driving
While Under the Influence) arrests
now involve drugs. In a single month, 24 of 27 DUI cases in
Martin District Court involved drugs, not alcohol, according
to court records.
Unfortunately, quick and easy Breathalyzer
tests, routinely used in drunken driving arrests, don't work
in drug cases. Instead, blood samples must be sent to the
state crime laboratory, where a nine-month backlog jeopardizes
prosecution.
In the year 2000, one of every three motorists
stopped on a first-offense DUI in eastern Kentucky
was alleged to be impaired by drugs rather than alcohol.
It would appear that drugged driving is a
growing but largely unrecognized problem.
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