[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/new-jersey-laws-for-driving-on-prescription-drugs\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/new-jersey-laws-for-driving-on-prescription-drugs\/","headline":"New Jersey Laws for Driving on Prescription Drugs","name":"New Jersey Laws for Driving on Prescription Drugs","description":"Is it Illegal to Drive on Prescriptions in NJ? When most people hear the phrases \u201cdriving under the influence\u201d or \u201cdriving while impaired,\u201d they think of alcohol. Most New Jersey residents know that they should not drive with a .08 or more blood alcohol concentration. Others know that it\u2019s also illegal to drive while under […]","datePublished":"2019-01-24","dateModified":"2025-12-09","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/author\/newjerseycriminallawfirm\/#Person","name":"William Proetta Criminal Law","url":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/author\/newjerseycriminallawfirm\/","identifier":12,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf046e483cfd218aa23b814afd7f502ea8e6bd244632161b6e42395a76e91a8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf046e483cfd218aa23b814afd7f502ea8e6bd244632161b6e42395a76e91a8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"William Proetta Criminal Law","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/william-proetta-criminal-law-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/william-proetta-criminal-law-logo.png","width":250,"height":76}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/prescription-drugs.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/prescription-drugs.jpg","height":1333,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/new-jersey-laws-for-driving-on-prescription-drugs\/","about":["DWI\/DUI"],"wordCount":681,"articleBody":"Is it Illegal to Drive on Prescriptions in NJ?When most people hear the phrases \u201cdriving under the influence\u201d or \u201cdriving while impaired,\u201d they think of alcohol. Most New Jersey residents know that they should not drive with a .08 or more blood alcohol concentration. Others know that it\u2019s also illegal to drive while under the influence of drugs, but people commonly associate the term \u201cdrugs\u201d with meth, crack,\u00a0heroin,\u00a0cocaine, and other patently illegal (or \u201cSchedule I\u201d) drugs of abuse.Fewer people know that under\u00a0New Jersey\u2019s DWI laws, it can also be illegal to drive after taking legal, prescription drugs\u2014and not just \u201chot-button\u201d prescription opioids like\u00a0oxycodone, codeine, morphine, and the like. It can even be illegal under New Jersey\u2019s DWI laws to drive after taking drugs as innocuous as Nyquil, Benadryl, or, perhaps most commonly of all, Xanax. In this article, we discuss the risks associated with, and legality of, driving on Xanax in New Jersey.\u00a0 If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being arrested for driving under the influence of Xanax, call our local Edison DUI defense attorneys for immediate assistance. We can help you successfully fight charges for DUI on all manner of prescription drugs and we do it for clients in Middlesex County, NJ on a regular basis. Consultations are free and confidential, so call\u00a0(732) 659-9600 today.How New Jersey\u2019s Drug DUI Law Applies to Prescription DrugsNew Jersey\u2019s DWI law criminalizes \u201cdriving while intoxicated.\u201d The law can be found on the books at N.J. Rev Stat \u00a7 39:4-50. The DWI statute not only prohibits individuals from operating a motor vehicle at a .08 or higher blood alcohol concentration\u2014the law that most people know\u2014but also prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of narcotics, hallucinogenic, or habit-producing drugs. If taking a drug renders you unable to operate a motor vehicle with the caution and care of a sober person, and you drive while on that drug, you can be found guilty of driving under the influence, also known as driving impaired.Does Xanax Qualify for a DUI Charge in NJ?The\u00a0Physician\u2019s Desk Reference (\u201cPDR\u201d), a leading source on drug classification, notes that Xanax is a prescription (or \u201cSchedule IV\u201d) drug also known as alprazolam. The drug falls into the larger category of drugs known as benzodiazepines. Xanax treats anxiety, and notably for purposes of the law described above, the PDR states that it can cause physical and psychological dependence. In short, Xanax is medically considered to be a habit-producing drug, and New Jersey\u2019s courts categorize it similarly.Benzodiazepines like Xanax treat depression by, in the simplest possible terms, acting on a person\u2019s central nervous system\u2014benzodiazepines actually fall into a broader category of drugs referred to as Central Nervous System Depressants. Like Xanax, alcohol is a Central Nervous System Depressant, and some of the symptoms of impairment associated with Xanax can mirror the symptoms of someone who\u2019s had too much to drink.Both alcohol and Xanax can cause sedation and impair your ability to multitask, which an activity like driving requires. Driving requires multitasking, of course, because a person may have to operate the steering wheel, step on the brake, and scan the road in front of them all at the same time. Patients taking Xanax are warned not to drive or operate machinery until they know how Xanax will affect them.Charged with DUI on Xanax in Edison, NJIf you drive after taking an amount of Xanax that renders you unable to drive as well as a sober person under like circumstances, you may be charged with a violation of NJS\u00a039:4-50. After being arrested for DUI in Edison, New Brunswick, South Brunswick, Woodbridge, Carteret, or anywhere else in Middlesex County, your next call should be to a knowledgeable attorney. Get the answers you need to begin building your best defense by calling our DUI defense lawyers in Middlesex County, NJ now at\u00a0(732) 659-9600. We provide free consultations.Read more about prescription drug charges\u00a0here."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New Jersey Laws for Driving on Prescription Drugs","item":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/new-jersey-laws-for-driving-on-prescription-drugs\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]