Prescription-based DUIs draw attention from police
Officers learn to recognize effects of legally obtained drugs
Thu, 11/18/2010 - 12:01am
A Mesa police officer tests eye movements of a driver pulled over at a September 2010 DUI checkpoint. Officers and city officials say prescription drug use is a rising cause of driver impairment in Arizona.
(Rebekah Zemansky • Cronkite News Service)
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Cronkite News Service
MESA — When police officer James Boubelik pulls someone over for reckless driving, he looks for clues of impairment like dilated pupils, slurred speech or the smell of alcohol.
But it’s more than just alcohol and illegal drugs that Boubelik and other officers are looking for these days. They’re also looking for drivers impaired by legal, prescription drugs — harder to recognize than drunken driving and sometimes harder to prosecute.
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