It is in your best interest to avoid getting a conviction if you are facing charges of DWI marijuana in Texas. Our laws are strict, and the penalties are severe if you get a DWI conviction. A Southlake DWI marijuana lawyer from the Law Offices of Randall B. Isenberg could go to bat for you to help you avoid the harsh consequences of a conviction. You can count on our criminal defense firm to fight tirelessly for you.
Standard DWI Penalties in Texas
If you do not fight the charges and simply accept the sentence the judge hands down, these are the standard DWI penalties you could face:
First DWI
The first time a person gets convicted of a marijuana DWI or a standard DWI, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDoT), they could get sentenced to:
- A maximum fine of $2,000.
- Jail time of up to 180 days.
- Loss of one’s driver’s license for up to 1 year.
Second DWI
The consequences increase with each subsequent DWI conviction. For example, getting convicted of a second DWI could result in:
- A fine as high as $4,000.
- Jail time could increase to as much as 1 year.
- Loss of one’s driver’s license for up to 2 years.
Third DWI
A person convicted of their third DWI could get sentenced to:
- A maximum fine of $10,000.
- Incarceration in prison for as long as 10 years.
- Loss of one’s driver’s license for up to 2 years.
In addition to the penalties listed above, Texas imposes an additional fine at the time of sentencing. Sentencing fines add another $3,000, $4,500, or $6,000 to your total penalties.
The penalties for a DWI marijuana are the same as for a standard DWI. You might also face additional consequences, depending on other factors, like whether you had a child younger than 15 years old in your vehicle.
How a Person Can Get a Marijuana DWI in Texas
The only difference between a marijuana DWI and a standard DWI in our state is that, with a marijuana DWI, law enforcement found the presence of drugs in your bloodstream. Let’s say that you got pulled over on suspicion of being intoxicated by alcohol.
When the officer walked over to your car, they detected the smell of marijuana. At this point, the officer might have a reason to suspect you were using marijuana or some other drug, so they could require you to take a blood test for the presence of drugs. If you test positive for marijuana, your charge could be a marijuana DWI.
What Constitutes a DWI in Southlake, Texas
Most people think your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) must be higher than the legal limit before you can get convicted of a DWI. However, there are multiple ways a person can end up convicted of a DWI besides having an excessive BAC level. You could get a DWI if your BAC is below the legal limit, but the amount of alcohol you consumed adversely affects your ability to operate a motor vehicle safely.
Also, if the police find the presence of drugs in your system that impair your ability to drive safely, even if you have not consumed any alcohol, you could get a DWI. Finally, any combination of drugs, alcohol, and other substances that, together, impair your driving ability could support a DWI conviction.
Texas Penal Code § 49.01 says that “Intoxicated” means:
(A) not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the body; or
(B) having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more.
In any of these situations, you will want to work with a Southlake marijuana DWI lawyer to protect your legal rights and future.
How a Southlake Marijuana DWI Could Damage Your Future
Many people assume that hiring a criminal defense lawyer is too expensive, so they just take their chances and hope the judge will be lenient. When you add up the costs of what a DWI conviction can do to your life, you will see that working with a Southlake DWI marijuana lawyer could be the best investment you ever make. Ways a DWI can negatively impact your life include:
- You cannot work if you are sitting in jail. Do not be surprised if you lose your job if the judge sentences you to jail time. After you serve your sentence, you might expect that you can return to your life as normal because you did your time. Unfortunately, your boss might have given your job to someone else in your absence.
- Your employer might have preferred to hold your position open for you but cannot afford to do so because of their higher insurance premiums if your job involves driving.
- Some employers take a hard position on alcohol offenses. Even if your position does not involve driving, your boss could fire you for getting convicted of a criminal offense.
- Getting a good job in the future will be more of a challenge after a DWI conviction if you must submit to a background check that includes your driving or criminal record. Many jobs that pay well require background checks. If your potential employer has another equally qualified candidate without a DWI on the record, they might choose that person instead of you.
Our Lawyers’ Results in DWI Cases
Here are some of the recent outcomes we got for our DWI clients:
- The judge granted our Motion to Suppress evidence, which resulted in the case getting dismissed.
- Client got placed on Deferred Probation.
- We got our client’s DWI based on a 0.15 BAC reduced to a class B Misdemeanor.
- Our client’s charge of DWI got reduced to an Obstruction of Roadway.
- We got our client’s 3rd DWI case reduced to a Misdemeanor.
- Charges of a DWI with Open Container resulted in our client getting placed on Deferred Probation.
- Our client’s 2nd DWI offense got reduced to an Obstruction of Roadway.
You can find many more cases like these on our results page. Every DWI case is different. The results we can achieve will depend on the specific facts of your DWI marijuana case.
Call Now to Get Help Building a Defense in Tarrant County, TX
If you want a Southlake marijuana DWI attorney who will fight aggressively for you and work tirelessly to get you the best possible result in your situation, look no further than the Law Offices of Randall B. Isenberg. You can reach out to us today to get started.
