No, there’s not a typo in the title.
Smoking alcohol has been around since 2004 with availability of an AWOL (Alcohol Without Liquid) device. The product was quickly banned in the United States, but that didn’t keep people from finding creative ways to vaporize their alcohol. One of the more popular techniques is by pouring the drink of choice over dry ice and inhaling the fumes with a straw. The resurgence in the practice has health care professionals concerned. It should, however, have law enforcement and legal professionals concerned as well.
When alcohol is vaporized and inhaled, it bypasses the stomach and liver and goes straight to the brain and bloodstream. The alcohol does not get metabolized and therefore does not lose potency, causing people to get intoxicated much more quickly. Where as a person who drinks two beers may not be under the influence by legal standards, a smoker of two beers may be much more intoxicated and mistakenly believe that the intoxicating effects are the same as drinking two beers.
What’s more, at lease with drinking, someone can tell how much they’ve consumed. Because the alcohol is vaporized, a “smoker” cannot tell how much they’ve consumed. When someone is unaware of how intoxicated they actually are, they are more likely to believe they’re okay to drive putting them at risk of getting arrested for a California DUI.
Make no mistake; smoking alcohol will give a person a much higher blood alcohol content than if they were to drink alcohol, putting them at particular risk of severe alcohol poisoning and California DUI charges.
Remember that, in California, DUI penalties increase when a defendant’s blood alcohol content is at 0.15 or higher.
Whatever happened to sitting and enjoying the sipping of a fine whiskey, beer, or wine? And if you’re not that patient, stick to shots because at least you know how much you’re drinking. Just don’t drive.
The post Smoking Alcohol Can Lead to California DUI appeared first on Law Offices of Taylor and Taylor - DUI Central.
