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If you have broken one of the many laws relating to possession and/or sale of drugs, it is necessary to seek the counsel of a drug lawyer. Attorneys retained to present the defense of someone alleged to have broken one of these laws needs to specialize in that field, and also be someone who can represent the defendant best by having a well known and respected name in the particular jurisdiction where the case will be heard. The outcome of adjudication depends not only on the ability of the attorney to present the case adequately, with sound reasoning ability and investigative talent to uncover critical information that will be considered, but the attorney himself should have a good rapport with prosecutors and the judge who will preside over the hearing.

These lawyers who specialize in drug laws are dealing with issues that contain subjectivity in adjudication, though one might prefer to believe that the judgment in such cases is purely objective. No matter how large or small the offense may be, whether in the realm of a misdemeanor or a much more serious felony charge, the attorney representing the defendant in a drug related case is extremely important to the outcome of the case.   This may be just as true for a possession charge as it is for dui charges or operating under the influence charges.

Charges regarding drug violations may impose complications in the lives of the accused that can have far reaching ramifications that include imprisonment, heavy fines, inability to obtain gainful employment in the future, and even the inability to be a recipient of different types of loans. An attorney whose career is focused on drug legalities and who has a good standing in the jurisdiction where the case is going to be judged is the best start to a defense that will represent the best interests of the defendant for what might otherwise be a life changing verdict.

I am a Seattle DUI attorney. I write posts about Seattle DUI law. And I write posts about how to skirt the law, beat the law, or whatever you might call it if you are not on the highway with a bunch of flashing lights behind you and a cop in your face with a menacing look. At that time, I might be writing posts about how to exercise your rights to keep yourself out of trouble. In any event, today I’m here to help you answer a time honored question. “Have you been drinking tonight?”

I realize that I don’t necessarily have to set the scene here, but I’ll do it briefly anyway. Tuesday night. You went to a happy hour with some friends. Two beers and an appetizer is all you had. You feel fine. You hop in your car to drive home, and next thing you know you are getting pulled over. Cop comes up. Turns out you forgot to use your turn signal back there. And here it comes – “Have you been drinking tonight?”

The problem with this question is that there is no right way to answer it. If you say no and he smells beer on your breath, you aren’t in a good position. If you say yes, even if it was only two beers, you aren’t in a good position. Seems like a lose/lose situation, right? Except that there is a third option, the option you should use every time.

“I’m not answering your questions.”

What? Hold on a second, that doesn’t make any sense. Isn’t that the same as saying no? As saying yes? Actually, it isn’t. It’s doing something I like to call exercising your Constitutional right to silence. You don’t have to provide the cops any information (except ID and insurance info) about you. And you certainly don’t have to tell them anything they might use against you later.

The cops aren’t going to like this. In fact, they are going to hate it (and they may still arrest you for Seattle DUI because of it – but they were probably going to anyway). But let them gasp and gargle and throw a hissy fit all they want. If they ask that magical question, your only response is the magical answer.