Question:  I bought some bath salts in another state and used them here at a party with friends and I drove and got a DUI. I know it was dumb but we hadn't seen each other since we went to Georgia Tech and we got together. I live here in Atlanta; a friend lives in Florida, another in New York and the other in Alabama. We got a hotel room for w long weekend. You know, the normal partying and gay stuff that people do.

At Georgia Tech we'd experiment with different drugs in our labs. We'd cook up some meth, try to make synthetic pot and we even tried bath salts. We were just young dudes in college looking for a cheap buzz and an engineering degree. I finally changed to management (got on the “M Train”) and partied like I was meant to.

I made it out of college alright but I think one of my buddies, the electrical engineer, got a little brain damage from the drugs. Not too much, but a little, and he's still a good engineer

When I was in Florida on business I bought some bath salts and when we used them here I got too high. I got into my car and drove and got into a fender-bender. The cop thought I was DUI so he arrested me. I don't really remember what happened; it's all a little vague.

Can an Atlanta police officer arrest me for DUI when I wasn't drinking? I said I'd tried some new drug that I think isn't illegal and the cop said that was DUI. So now I got a DUI drugs charge here in Atlanta.

D.H. in Sandy Springs, GA

Answer:  Under Georgia law, you can get a DUI even if you don't drink alcohol. Many people are charged each year with DUI-drugs. To be charged with DUI drugs, the drugs can be either legal prescription medication or illegal “street drugs,” like marijuana, cocaine or meth. Even legal over-the-counter drugs can cause a DUI.

In fact, anything that will make you a less safe driver can cause a DUI under Georgia law. “Bath salts” are considered an illegal drug in every state, including here in Georgia. Thus, you can be charged and convicted of DUI if you ingested them and the prosecution can prove you were then a less safe driver.

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