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Drug Tests and How Long Drugs Stay in Your System

Drug Tests and How Long Drugs Stay in Your System

Drug Tests and How Long Drugs Stay in Your System

In Oklahoma, drivers pulled over for suspected DUI may receive a drug test. Driving under the influence of drugs is illegal, and if law enforcement suspect you have been using drugs they can request a test.

Oklahoma DUI-D (driving under the influence of drugs) laws are extremely strict. If you are caught driving with any amount of a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance in any bodily fluid, you can receive a DUI-D charge. In addition, you can receive a DUI-D charge if you are driving while under the influence of any intoxicating substance. Intoxicating substances include the various controlled substances listed in the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act and any other substance that impairs your sensory or motor functions.

Drug testing detects small amounts of various different intoxicating substances in your urine, saliva, hair, or blood. Depending on the specific test used, the lab may check for the presence of a variety of different substances. The most commonly found drugs Oklahoma impaired drivers have taken are marijuana, methamphetamine, diazepam, alprazolam and hydrocodone. Prescription drugs may have impairing effects, and having a prescription is not a defense to DUI-D.

In Oklahoma you should receive a drug test within 2 hours after a DUI-D arrest. If the test takes longer, you could have grounds to suppress the test results in court. Your body metabolizes drugs over time, and your test results immediately after the arrest could be completely different than your test results 4 hours later.

The rate at which your body metabolizes different drugs varies. Meth and amphetamines can disappear from urine test results after 1 to 3 days, while cocaine sometimes can be detected up to 4 days after use. Someone who uses marijuana once will test positive in a urine test for 2 to 7 days, while a regular user will test positive for 1 to 2 months after he or she stops using it.

Different people take different amounts of time to metabolize drugs. The dose you take and the frequency you use a drug affect how long it takes to metabolize it. Some medical conditions also affect the metabolic rate. Due to variations among people, drug testers cannot show with any real accuracy when someone took drugs. The tests only show that someone has drugs in their system.

Also, testers often can detect when someone has attempted to “cheat” a drug test by chugging water or adding something to their urine sample. This is because urine has an expected chemical composition and range of test results. Extremely diluted urine has different chemical levels than normal urine.

Have you been charged with a DUI-D after using drugs in Oklahoma? Clint Patterson, Esq., of Patterson Law Firm, a former Tulsa prosecutor now using his trial experience and expert-level knowledge of DUI science to defend drivers, can advise you on how to defend your charges. To schedule a case evaluation, visit Patterson Law Firm online or call Clint’s office at (918) 550-9175.