Many motorists in California seem to believe that they can only be arrested for DUI if they are found to be driving with a blood-alcohol level of at or above .08% on a breath or chemical test.
You can be arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana too. That fact seems to have escaped the notice of Steelers running backs Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount.
The two men were arrested recently for possession of marijuana, just before they were due to catch a flight with their team to Philadelphia. Bell is likely to face DUI charges, because he was driving the car, while high. However according to a copy of the criminal complaint, he was not aware that he could actually be arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana. When he was asked by the police officer who pulled him over, if he had any marijuana in the car, he initially denied being in the possession of marijuana, but when he was asked if had smoked pot recently, he admitted that he as well as the others in the car, had used marijuana just about a minute ago.
The officer then informed him that he would be tested for marijuana in his system, and could be charged with DUI for driving while high. According to Bell, he had absolutely no idea that he could actually be arrested for this.
In California, you can be arrested for driving while high. Under California's laws, you can be arrested for driving while under the influence of pot, although the law does not make clear what amount of THC should be present in your bloodstream for you to be considered legally impaired. For you to be convicted of DUI involving marijuana, you must have been operating a vehicle after having used to marijuana, and your abilities to drive the car must be severely impaired by the marijuana.
