California Drunk Driving Lawyers

California Recently Convicted A Man For Driving Under The Influence Of The Herb Kava

Prosecutors in San Mateo County, California recently convicted a man for driving under the influence of the herb kava, marking just the second such conviction in U.S. history.  Kava, an herb used as a nutritional supplement to relieve anxiety, is often used to make tea.  The herb is commonly used in ceremonies by the county's Pacific Islander community.  The defendant had consumed three bowls of kava and was pulled over weaving between lanes.  He was charged with DUI after he failed field sobriety tests measuring reflexes and visual alertness.  Kava is not classified by FDA as a drug, but studies have found that large doses impair motor function and have anesthetizing effects.  California law prohibits driving while impaired by any substance.  The San Mateo County crime lab is working with the San Francisco medical examiner to develop a kava equivalent for the blood-alcohol test used to convict drunk drivers.  Officials are hoping to develop a test that will detect kava in the bloodstream and define the level that renders drivers too intoxicated to drive.  Pacific Islanders in the community expressed alarm over the crackdown on kava.  "The legal system is being used to restrict our traditions," said Chester Palesoo, head of the Pacific Islander Community Center.  But officials said drinking kava in moderation should not affect rituals.  "There's no law to say you can't have kava.  But if you are going to drink enough to impair you, just don't go behind the wheel, take a 4,000 pound piece of metal and hurtle it down the road," said Peter Lynch, a San Mateo County deputy district attorney

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