WHATCOM MARIJUANA DUI ATTORNEY

A marijuana DUI is a serious criminal offense in Washington and unfortunately Whatcom County is one of the toughest counties in the state. Despite the severity of the charge and the very stiff penalties, there are many misconceptions about marijuana DUIs in Whatcom County and frankly, all across Washington State. We want to make sure you understand both your rights and everything you’re up against.  Who better to call than the author of the Marijuana DUI Handbook and the Drug DUI Handbook? Don’t leave your future up to chance, and don’t allow yourself to go to court without proper legal guidance every step of the way.  

The specific penalties for a marijuana DUI are also much steeper than many people would expect. If convicted, you can face very high fines and jail time. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. You can also lose your driver’s license, be ordered into drug treatment and education programs, and have an ignition interlock device put on your car (at your expense). These devices only detect alcohol on the breath – not marijuana – but they are still available as penalty for a marijuana DUI. This is in addition to the public embarrassment that comes from a DUI conviction of any kind. Your Bellingham marijuana DUI attorney can help you fight all of these penalties and potentially lessen your sentence or be acquitted entirely.

Lastly, completely separate from your court case there will be an administrative hearing before a state office to consider taking away your driver’s license. This can happen even if the judge does not order your license taken away and even if you have not been to court yet. This process can be confusing without a Whatcom County marijuana DUI attorney to help you navigate it.  Call our Bellingham DUI Law Firm office for free information. 

First off it’s vital to understand that a marijuana DUI is prosecuted exactly the same way as a normal DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol). This seems counter-intuitive to many people because marijuana has such different effects from alcohol. Unlike alcohol it does not lead to reckless or violent behavior and many people feel that they are completely in control of themselves when they’re high on marijuana. However, marijuana can still affect reaction time behind the wheel and thus the state finds it expedient to treat it the same as more serious debilitating intoxicants like alcohol. To fight these charges effectively you will need a skilled Whatcom County marijuana DUI attorney. 

When someone is pulled over for driving after using marijuana, one of the most common questions is whether they really need a marijuana DUI attorney.  Bellingham takes prosecuting crimes seriously and most particularly, those charged with DUI.  The penalties for driving under the influence of marijuana can be very steep, and prosecution is particularly aggressive in Whatcom County. When you face drug DUI charges, even for a drug as mild as some people consider marijuana, you are in for a tough battle and you need absolutely every advantage you can get. A Bellingham Marijuana DUI attorney is a must.

A Bellingham marijuana DUI attorney can wield significant power on your behalf. Experienced marijuana defense lawyers know the prosecuting attorneys, the judges, and many of the arresting officers. At the Law Firm of David N. Jolly we keep extensive profiles on all of them and how they handle different cases. This helps us to prepare your defense to best fit the make up of the court. We also have a reputation as strong and successful defense lawyers. This means that we can frequently convince prosecutors to come to an agreement and offer a plea bargain with minor penalties. In many cases we have even gotten our clients acquitted of the charge.

​Bellingham does not go easy on drunk drivers, and unfortunately, the same standards created for drunk driving are now being applied to those accused of driving under the influence of marijuana. A good marijuana DUI attorney can increase your chance of keeping your license and staying out of jail.  Remember, local Bellingham attorney David N. Jolly authored the Marijuana DUI Handbook, the first and only book of its kind!

Call Whatcom County marijuana DUI attorney David N. Jolly today for a free consultation.

Because of amendments to State law, Bellingham has changed the way it handles marijuana driving cases. According to the new law in Washington, drivers with a blood THC content of .05% or higher can be prosecuted exactly as if they were a drunk driver with a blood alcohol content of .08% or more. To put this in perspective, some individuals are able to drink a single beer and still be below the legal blood alcohol limit of .08%, but even a single joint of marijuana is enough to put someone over the .05% blood THC limit. The amount of THC in your blood can remain high even hours after you smoked or consumed marijuana. That means that even if you felt clear headed and safe to drive, the law may disagree, and when pulled over for something as routine as a broke light or a minor speeding violation, you could find yourself facing jail time, steep fines and losing your driver’s license, among other penalties. This is why it’s so vital to take your case seriously and hire a marijuana DUI attorney in Whatcom County to fight for you.  Only a Bellingham marijuana DUI lawyer truly understands how to fight and win such a complicated case.