Prescription- Drug DUIs On the Rise in Nevada
Washoe County police have seen a rise in people breaking Nevada DUI law by abusing prescription medication. They estimate that as many as one in three of their DUI arrests stem from the driver being impaired from prescription medication. Reno police Lt. Dave Evans describes how people forget that Nevada DUI law can be broken by prescription drugs: “The biggest issue is people have to make sure that whatever they take will allow them to still function. It really requires effort on the driver to make sure they can operate safely and within the law.”
In recent weeks, Reno police have reported several DUIs resulting from prescription meds: One man was arrested in Sun Valley who had taken anti-depressants and sleeping pills, and a woman crashed into a school bus after taking Xanex. Reno police Officer Ronald Ahrens described how one motorist had crashed after taking a “prescription cocktail:” “He got out staggering like a drunk, but he had no alcohol on board.”
Nevada DUI law makes it a misdemeanor to operate a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol. However, a third DUI in seven years is charged as a felony. DUIs causing injury or death is also charged as a felony.
