# I am 19 and got a DUI for weed in MS. I need advice please! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 6, 2013, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239 "2013-01-06T06:24:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/81 "2013-01-07T22:25:51Z")
The ironic thing is that if the amount of marijuana the OP says he took is accurate, then he was actually (statisically speaking) a safer driver than had he been sober. The same would be true if he had had a tiny bit of alcohol to drink. In both circumstances the intoxicated person over compensates for their intoxication. Not very PC to point that out, but for those who are condemming DUI because it causes accidents (which it massively does obviously) rather than for moral reasons, best to make sure said condemnation is based on facts. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/82 "2013-01-07T22:40:31Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > You got caught with it, you admitted you were high, and you were driving. Not sure what advice a lawyer is going to give you that’s going to help you out. This isn’t a television style courtroom drama. You will be in a line of dozens if not hundreds of other dui offenders and spend maybe 5-10 minutes talking to the judge at most. You will mostly be asked yes/no questions and the time you spend in front of the judge will be very brief. Is this your first offense? Some states have an ARD program for first offenders where they get a reduced fine, expungement from their records, etc (this happened to someone in my family). > > Show up on time for your court dates (even a little early since courts are frequently crowded), make sure you give yourself plenty of time to park and find the courtroom. Own up to what you did, but don’t make excuses. “I did this, I broke the law, it was a bad decision and I am sorry”, not “I was high but I thought I would be okay to drive”. > > You might have your license suspended for 30 or 60 days, pay fines, court costs, and have to take classes. If you have to pay fines you will probably be given a date by which your fine has to be paid, and you can pay so much per month. If your license is suspended, make arrangements for rides to work/school. Do not drive on a suspended license or you will get into a lot more trouble than you’re in right now. Don’t drive with weed or paraphanelia in the car in the future. > > For the record, the family member I mentioned (this is in PA) was able to go into the ARD program and had their record expunged, but still had to pay $1700 in fines/court costs, take classes, and had their license suspended for 60 days. They are (rightfully) cracking down on DUI/DWI nowdays, this was considered a light sentence by the people she talked to in the courts. Good luck. All this and a minor point but: Dress up for court. Shaved, groomed, conservatively dressed, and act appropriate. Sort of like a job interview - being too casual may hurt you, but being too formal won’t. I’ve had to go to court a few times in my life and I had a volunteer gig for years that often involved going to court with people. Some judges were real sticklers for the whole “showing respect to the court” thing and if nothing else it shows you realise the gravity of the situation and are showing respect. I’ve seen judges sternly reprimand or even dismiss people who were chewing gum, wearing short-shorts or sleeveless t-shirts, forgot to turn off their cell phones or were playing with their phones while waiting to address the court. (The local county court house won’t even allow a cell phone on the premises. Even if you’re just going in there to pay for your business license or property taxes.) I know this is really stating the obvious but since these threads are accessible by google for however long search engines exist: Life stops being a game at some point; it may be one of those “grown-up” moments many of us have. Drunk or buzzed driving is seriously wrong. Get as high or drunk as you want, but do it in private. Not on roads that I drive on. And there are consequences. When you’re 19, you may not really believe that, but come back at 49 and share how those bad decisions bit you in the ass ever since. Because they will. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/83 "2013-01-07T22:59:44Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > He actually wrote the year as _2009_?! Could have been slightly impaired at the time. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/84 "2013-01-07T23:09:13Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > All this and a minor point but: Dress up for court. Shaved, groomed, conservatively dressed, and act appropriate. Sort of like a job interview - being too casual may hurt you, but being too formal won’t. Probably want to avoid phrasings like “I had smoked half a bowl of mid,” also. It implies that you’re also familiar with schwag and chronic. Which of course you aren’t, since that was the first and only time you smoked marijuana, a foolish and reckless act you now regret terribly and shall never repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/85 "2013-01-07T23:30:33Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > \ > > I know this is really stating the obvious but since these threads are accessible by google for however long search engines exist: Life stops being a game at some point; it may be one of those “grown-up” moments many of us have. Drunk or buzzed driving is seriously wrong. Get as high or drunk as you want, but do it in private. Not on roads that I drive on. > > And there are consequences. When you’re 19, you may not really believe that, but come back at 49 and share how those bad decisions bit you in the ass ever since. Because they will. It’s probably more obvious to those of us who are over 19. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/86 "2013-01-07T23:44:31Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > It’s probably more obvious to those of us who are over 19. 🙂 Yes it totally is. 🙂 And I’m not sure how to impress this on current teenagers, because they have teenage brain. I did much, vastly, explicitely and extremely more than merely smoke a bowl and drive when I was about that age. Seriously, I’m lucky I never got jailed for anything because I probably should have been. And by today’s standards, I could have killed people and been put away for life for DUI, but thankfully I didn’t and wasn’t. Smoking a little weed, or drinking, and driving or whatever was normal and not terribly criminal back then. So I really understand teenage brain. But times are different. If I had a kid I would slap it upside the head for doing this crap now: what were you _thinking_!? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/87 "2013-01-08T03:07:29Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > The ironic thing is that if the amount of marijuana the OP says he took is accurate, then he was actually a safer driver than had he been sober. > > _\_ best to make sure said condemnation is based on facts. Speaking of which, could you provide a cite for this assertion above? ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/88 "2013-01-08T03:16:44Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Speaking of which, could you provide a cite for this assertion above? I started out this OP saying - certainly, of course you can. But then I looked up some cites. And at least assuming that the cites I’m looking at now are the same as what I remember before, the actual reality is that [marijuana](http://ftp.iza.org/dp6112.pdf) leads to a decrease in fatalities through impaired drivers - but it does so because it leads to a decrease in drinking booze, not because the slightly stoned are better drivers than the sober. For the time being I have to say mea culpa… mea maxima culpa… Oh well, at least we can say well done to the OP for smoking rather than drinking. (Even so, I would say that it is still possible that tiny amounts of marijuana intoxication is associated with being a safer driver. That is the case with alcohol after all. Then again, I haven’t searched for a cite for that either, but if Mr. Valid asks me to I will of course, and perhaps be wrong again! :D) ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/89 "2013-01-08T03:20:09Z")
(Does seem to be a bunch of stuff here from that hugely unbiased source NORML that mild cannabis use is not shown to be statisticaly dangerous [http://norml.org/library/item/marijuana-and-driving-a-review-of-the-scientific-evidence](http://norml.org/library/item/marijuana-and-driving-a-review-of-the-scientific-evidence)) Mr Valid, both you and I have driven drunk, and you have payed a far higher price, but I paid one too. I believe we have both taken cannabis before as well (although correct me if I am wrong). Which do you think would be worse to drive on in a mild to moderate dose? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/90 "2013-01-08T03:33:57Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Which do you think would be worse to drive on in a mild to moderate dose? Why does my opinion even matter? And what is a “mild to moderate dose”? And how do you compare such a dose between substances? Is one puff equal to three sips? And some people have different reactions to booze and pot, so some may feel more in control and have no problem driving under the influence of one versus the other. I’ve known some people who, after smoking pot and driving, will stop for red lights about 20 yards short of the red light or drive 35 MPH on a 70 MPH expressway. Not to mention running red lights and not seeing obstacles in the road. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/91 "2013-01-08T03:38:36Z")
to be fair, while some dude stopping 20 yards short of a red light or driving 35mph on a 70mph expressway is obviously a pretty bad an unhelpful driver, he is nowhere near as dangerous as a typical (properly) drunk driver. Anyone who stops 20 yards short of a red light is only going to cause an accident if some other driver is rubbish, and the same applies to someone doing 35mph in a 70mph road. You know, today I was overtaken while I was driving at 110mph on a road narrower than almost all the ones you have in America (from the looks of the TV). Who overtook me? An unmarked police car who thought I was going too slowly. That road had no speed limit btw. There is no reason that huge speed differentials can’t exist amongst competent drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/92 "2013-01-08T04:17:01Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > (Does seem to be a bunch of stuff here from that hugely unbiased source NORML that mild cannabis use is not shown to be statisticaly dangerous [http://norml.org/library/item/marijuana-and-driving-a-review-of-the-scientific-evidence](http://norml.org/library/item/marijuana-and-driving-a-review-of-the-scientific-evidence)) > > Mr Valid, both you and I have driven drunk, and you have payed a far higher price, but I paid one too. I believe we have both taken cannabis before as well (although correct me if I am wrong). Which do you think would be worse to drive on in a mild to moderate dose? “Hugely unbiased source” – I take it you’re being ironic? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/93 "2013-01-08T05:18:04Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > “Hugely unbiased source” – I take it you’re being ironic? > > :dubious: And they say Americans have difficulty detecting irony! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/94 "2013-01-08T07:48:48Z")
> [@Brasel19](#): > > Thank you Martin Hyde. Your post was very helpful on further understanding where Im at. My parents have found a lawyer that is supposed to be the best in the area for my situation (and has a payment plan). Again thanks to everyone who posted. Excellent. And here is something to think about. Even though this is serious to you (and it is) to them you are just one of a zillion kids who get picked up. And the cop is unlikely to have it in for you, since it is clear you might have been stupid, but you weren’t an asshole. They might want to devote their court time, and their jail budget, to someone a lot more dangerous than you are. No guarantees of course. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/95 "2013-01-08T08:10:10Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > you are just one of a zillion kids who get picked up. And the cop is unlikely to have it in for you,. So the cop won’t care, but that isn’t always in your favor.You are just one of a zillion other cases, which all look the same to the cop and the judge. You may not get any special treatment because you were polite and cooperative. That’s why you need a lawyer…and not just any lawyer. You need the best lawyer in your city, with tons of experience in handling exactly your type of case. He knows the system, he knows the judges personally, and he can help make you stand out from all those zillions of other kids. The best lawyer is not the one who knows the law..it’s the guy who knows the system and the personalities of each judge in each room of the courthouse. I personally know of a case (20 years ago) where a flagrantly guilty DUI got dismissed with virtually no punishment, because the lawyer went to the courthouse an hour before it opened, met with the judge in his private office while he was getting dressed in his robes, and made a deal. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/96 "2013-01-08T09:00:40Z")
Just a slight hijack > [@chappachula](#): > > I personally know of a case (20 years ago) where a flagrantly guilty DUI got dismissed with virtually no punishment, because the lawyer went to the courthouse an hour before it opened, met with the judge in his private office while he was getting dressed in his robes, and made a deal. This is disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/97 "2013-01-08T12:03:00Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > Just a slight hijack > > This is disgusting. Maybe so, but if I’m the defendant and that’s my lawyer, I hired the right lawyer and got my money’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/98 "2013-01-09T16:12:01Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > This is one of those instances where it will cost you more **not** to hire a lawyer. Consider it tuition for an important life lesson. Yeah. The lawyer could conceivably get the case thrown out if there were procedural issues, but even if not: s/he can make sure you are treated as fairly as possible. You might be able to get by with probation / loss of license / etc. vs jailtime, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/99 "2013-01-09T17:49:24Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I personally know of a case (20 years ago) where a flagrantly guilty DUI got dismissed with virtually no punishment, because the lawyer went to the courthouse an hour before it opened, met with the judge in his private office while he was getting dressed in his robes, and made a deal. Yeah, 20 years ago. That shit just _doesnt_ happen today. Unless you are Lindsay Lohan. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239/100 "2013-01-09T20:01:47Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > The ironic thing is that if the amount of marijuana the OP says he took is accurate, then he was actually (statisically speaking) a safer driver than had he been sober. > > The same would be true if he had had a tiny bit of alcohol to drink. > > In both circumstances the intoxicated person over compensates for their intoxication. Even if this is true, the fact remains: driving under the influence of alcohol or marijuana is against the law. That may be a good or a bad law, but for now, it is the law. If you drive after you have been drinking or smoking, you are taking a chance that you might get caught. The consequences of getting caught breaking these laws can be unpleasant. I would only drive after drinking if I really, really needed to. Certainly not to play pool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-19-and-got-a-dui-for-weed-in-ms-i-need-advice-please/646239.md?page=6)