Driving Under the Influence, Public Policy, and Pharmacy Practice
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-13-2014
Keywords
fsc2015
Abstract
Motor vehicle accidents due to prescription drug impairment have increased in the past decade. Typically impairment is associated with medications causing excessive drowsiness, such as opioids or benzodiazepines, but the scope of DUI-drug charges are reaching into medications that are not typically considered impairing, such as antipsychotics, antiepileptics and mood-stabilizers. Data associating medication use with driving impairment is growing, especially with agents not typically thought of as impairing. Forty-three states currently train drug recognition experts, who employ a twelve-step evaluation to detect the presence of drug impairment. Seventeen states have instituted “per se” laws, which make it illegal to drive with the presence of drugs or metabolites in the body. Pharmacists should recognize an ethical, professional, and perhaps legal responsibility to inform patients of the risk of impaired driving with prescription agents. Pharmacists should reconsider how they are counseling patients on medication impairment and lower their threshold for warning a patient of potential impairment; expanding to agents typically not thought of as impairing. Pharmacists are in a position to ensure that patients fully understand the risk of impaired driving and the potential for DUI prosecution.
DOI
10.1177/0897190014549839
Publication Information
Sigona, Nicholas and Williams, Karl (2014). "Driving Under the Influence, Public Policy, and Pharmacy Practice." Journal of Pharmacy Practice 28.1, 119-123.
Please note that the Publication Information provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations.