Drug DUI · Florida
Can you get a DUI for drugs in Florida?
With Sabrina Jadunandan, Orlando DUI defense attorneyDuration 1:00Reviewed 2026-08-07
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Can you be arrested for a drug DUI in Florida?
Yes. Florida's DUI statute is not limited to alcohol — impairment by a chemical or controlled substance can support an arrest. Drug-recognition training divides substances into seven categories; alcohol falls under depressants, while cannabis and stimulants such as cocaine sit elsewhere. As Sabrina explains from her time as a prosecutor, a depressant combined with a stimulant can present in the middle and look nothing like a typical alcohol DUI, which changes how the case is litigated.
What this video covers
- Drug DUI under Florida law
- The seven drug categories
- Why mixed categories present atypically
Full transcript
What go on? It's Sabrina the DUI gal here to drop some knowledge on your feet today and today I want to talk about drugs. Fun fact, in Florida, you can be arrested for not just an alcohol DUI but also a drug DUI. So there are seven different drug categories that are recognized. Alcohol falls under the depressant category, but somebody who's been smoking marijuana will look different than somebody who's just drinking alcohol because marijuana is a class in and of itself. And I have this happen actually when I was a prosecutor. I had a drug DUI where the person was drinking and took cocaine. But that DUI presents totally different than just alcohol because cocaine is under the stimulant category. So when you have a depressant like alcohol and a stimulant like cocaine, sometimes they meet somewhere in the middle and it doesn't present like your typical DUI. And sometimes that's a worse litigating because people expect to see a depressant where alcohol DUI. So if you find yourself in that situation, definitely get you an attorney who knows her drugs.
Florida law and sources
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The information on this website is for general information only and is not legal advice.