Crystalline alcohol could lead to drunk driving charges

At least one manufacturer has a product idea that is drawing the attention of government officials in Kentucky for all of the wrong reasons. As law enforcement and prosecutors get ready for an increase in drunk driving charges during the holidays, state legislators will have a new law on their desks to vote on when 2016 rolls around to ban the use, sale or possession of powdered or crystalline alcohol.

Some officials are concerned about underage drunk driving if young people inhale the new form of alcohol. The manufacturer’s assurance that it would be easier for someone to take a shot of a liquid alcoholic beverage instead of going through the trouble of ingesting it in some other way did not quell fears on the part of legislators that the substance would increase underage drinking problems.

The purpose of crystalline alcohol is to allow a user to mix it with water to create an alcoholic beverage. It is the ease with which it can be carried and mixed that raises concerns in the minds of some officials who see it making its way into the workplace and also creating problems for police attempting to enforce laws against driving while intoxicated.

Nothing has been said, so far, about how inhaled crystalline alcohol would affect a driver’s blood alcohol content level as measured by a breath test. There could also be a concern about the inhaled alcohol product not being detectable on the breath of someone stopped by police for operating under the influence in the same way as traditional alcohol.

Anyone having questions about crystalline alcohol and drunk driving charge in Bowling Green or elsewhere in Kentucky should speak to a criminal defense attorney. An attorney could provide legal advice about the laws and penalties currently force in the state.

Source: College Heights Herald, “Kentucky Legislature to vote on prohibiting Palcohol in 2016,” Leanora Benkato, Dec. 2, 2015