A 2022 proposed Bill filed jointly by Tennessee Senator White (SB2736) and Tennessee Representative Ogles (HB2270)would amend current law so that a person who was prohibited from driving due to a DUI conviction must, upon seeking reinstatement of driving privileges, provide the Tennessee Department of Safety with a report from an accredited laboratory demonstrating negative screening results for the substance that was the basis of the person’s conviction. The report must be dated within thirty (30) days of the person’s request for reinstatement of driving privileges.
This proposed law will potentially create problems though—particularly for those convicted based on prescribed medication necessary to maintain the driver’s health. It is also doubtful to prohibit illegal behavior for those convicted of alcohol impairment since alcohol will usually leave the body within a matter of hours. Marijuana, however, may be detectable for 28 days or more, depending on the user’s frequency and usual dosage of ingestion. I will keep you updated on this potential new law.
About the Author: Steven Oberman has been licensed in Tennessee since 1980, and successfully defended over 2,500 DUI defendants. Steve was the first lawyer in Tennessee to be Board Certified as a DUI Defense Specialist by the NCDD. Among the many honors bestowed upon him, Steve has served as Dean of the National College for DUI Defense, Inc. (NCDD) and currently serves as chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers DUI Committee.
He is the author of DUI: The Crime & Consequences in Tennessee, updated annually since 1991 (Thomson-West), and co-author with Lawrence Taylor of the national treatise, Drunk Driving Defense, 9th edition (Wolters Kluwer/Aspen). Steve has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee Law School since 1993 and has received a number of prestigious awards for his faculty contributions. He is a popular international speaker, having spoken at legal seminars in 30 states, the District of Columbia and six foreign countries. After being named a Fulbright Scholar, Steve was honored to teach as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Latvia Law School in the capital city of Riga, Latvia during the Spring Semester of 2019. If you would like to contact the author, please visit his website at www.tndui.com.
