LSD Drug Driving Solicitors

Drug Driving & LSD

(lysergic acid diethylamide)

An LSD drug driving charge is a rare case. Police can’t test for LSD at the roadside and the drug is clear of your blood very quickly. Before you accept any guilt in your case, you’re allowed to check any alleged evidence being put against you.

And that’s where we can help.

If you’ve been charged with drug driving related to an LSD reading, call us for some free initial advice, even if you’re still waiting for any blood results to come back.

What is the legal limit for LSD?

The legal limit for LSD is one microgram per litre of blood (1µg/L), the lowest limit set for any drug under Section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

LSD fits squarely in the illegal drug group and is treated on a zero tolerance basis. Its threshold is so low it just about allows for accidental exposure before you’re over the limit.

It also means the prosecution doesn’t have to prove your driving was impaired. Just a reading over the limit is enough.
One thing that can help you though, is measuring any substance in your body at a level as low as 1µg/L is difficult, so the margin for error can be higher.

One thing that can help you though, is measuring any substance in your body at a level as low as 1µg/L is difficult, so the margin for error can be higher.

What is LSD?

LSD is a strong hallucinogenic drug. Also known as acid, tabs, blotter, trips or “Lucy”, it’s usually taken on small squares of paper and has been a recreational drug since the 60s.

Today it’s a Class A drug, putting in the most serious category of controlled substances in the UK.

It alters your perception, mood and thoughts. And users typically talk about seeing stronger colours and hearing louder sounds, having their vision distorted, a changed sense of time and movement.

But LSD can also be a scary drug, increasing anxiety, confusion, paranoia and disorientation. The experience of LSD - usually called a “trip” - can last hours.

How LSD affects your driving

Distorted view, reduced sense of speed and distance, confusion and slower reactions. All results of taking LSD. So it’s no wonder courts come down so hard on drivers who’ve taken it and drive because of the danger you put others (and yourself) in.

And unlike other drugs, which regular users can usually build up some kind of tolerance, LSD’s effects are unpredictable and difficult to manage behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Not that this is completely relevant, because under Section 5A, prosecutors only need to show you were over the limit and driving.

How long does LSD stay in your system?

For LSD it’s an unusual case. It leaves the bloodstream very quickly and, measured by its half-life, the detectable period is pretty short:

• Blood: Detectable for around 2-3 hours
• Urine: Around 1-3 days
• Saliva: About 2-3 hours
• Hair: Potentially months

Some data has suggested a blood concentration of around 6 to 7µg/L about half an hour after taking it, falling to undetectable within about 8 hours.

This can work in your favour because police have to suspect impairment in order to stop you, run a field test, arrest you, get you to a police station for an evidentiary blood test and send it to a lab.

So it can take a long time for your blood sample to be taken. By then, any LSD may have dropped below the limit or gone completely. So the timing of any blood samples and how it’s handled can be significant to your case.

Just remember, all the figures above are based on averages and how things work for you are going to be determined by your individual circumstances including your age and metabolism.

LSD Drug Driving Defences

Every case is different so we need to understand the specific details of yours before we can build you a strong defence. Unlike prescription drugs, there’s no lawful prescription or medical defence for LSD in the UK.

LSD is a hard drug to detect accurately, which can be to your advantage.

The 1µg/L reliability

LSD is measured at the lowest threshold of any drug. But accurately measuring a substance at just one microgram per litre is significantly difficult. In cases that turn on whether you were fractionally over a threshold as low as the one for LSD, even a tiny error can be different between you being found guilty and your case falling.

Blood result challenges

You’re allowed to check the accuracy of any evidence being alleged before you accept it. Under Part 19 of the Criminal Procedure Rules, the CPS has to disclose technical data behind your result (including the qualifications and experience of the people doing the testing) which creates opportunities for us to challenge the reliability of results.

Checking the detection window and post-driving time

Because LSD disappears from your blood in a few hours, the gap between you being stopped and your blood being taken can be significant. Even how your sample was stored after it was taken provides opportunities for your defence.

Confirming procedure and continuity

Our starting point in any drug driving case involving blood samples is whether the police used the correct evidential procedure to collect your sample. Officers are guided through procedures using the MSDDB and MGDDE documents. It’s not uncommon for stages to be missed or not followed to the letter.

Your blood sample can often sit in storage for weeks or months before it’s checked. And if it hasn’t been stored and handled properly we can challenge how reliable it is.

What happens in the event of a guilty verdict?

The technicalities and accuracy difficulties around LSD drug driving cases means we have plenty of opportunities to create a strong defence. Which is why having expert drug driving legal advice is so important, because the impact of a guilty verdict in these types of cases is significant.

A conviction carries:

• A 12 month driving disqualification, minimum
• Unlimited fine
• Criminal record

Long-term a drug driving conviction continues to impact your life. It stays on your record for 11 years and can affect everything from your ability to work and get insurance, to limiting your freedom to travel to certain countries like the US.

Get some free legal advice on your case from MAJ Law

If you’ve been arrested or charged with drug driving related to LSD, speak to our specialist drug driving defence solicitors as soon as possible, even if you’re still waiting on blood results.

MAJ Law are a specialist team of driving defence solicitors, fighting for motorists across England and Wales by providing expert, independent legal advice at every stage of their case, including representing them in court.

All initial advice is completely free, and we work on fixed fees. Get in touch today.