As a parent, something that you need to talk to your teenager about is the risk of spiked beverages at parties. Your teen may be with friends when they go to a party, but the reality is that someone may decide to spike a friend’s drink or invited someone to the party who does, all for a laugh or with malicious intent.
Teenagers don’t always make the best decisions, and the risk of being drugged is problematic for a few reasons. First, there is always a risk that drugging someone could result in serious health problems. Second, someone who feels unwell or impaired from being drugged may try to leave and drive home when it’s not safe to do so.
Drugged driving could lead to a DUI
Even if your teenager has not been drinking alcohol, being impaired by another substance could lead to a traffic stop, accusation of impaired driving and charges. This is why you should have a conversation with your child about keeping a close eye on their drink wherever they are and being sure to call you or another trusted adult if they are ill or impaired.
It is better to establish that your teenage child can call you for help or a ride if they are unwell or have had something to drink than to make them feel like they should sneak around or try to get home without you noticing. By opening up that line of communication and telling them that you’d rather they call you or 911 in an emergency, you’re setting them up to make better decisions if they happen to be impaired or in trouble and aren’t sure if they can get home on their own.
If your teen was drugged, they may be able to fight any DUI charges
Police officers, prosecutors, judges and others know that some people are drugged at no fault of their own. If your child was drugged with a drug like Rohypnol or ketamine, then you may be able to work on a strong defense to show that they did not intentionally drink alcohol or take drugs before getting behind the wheel. Their impairment, if no fault of their own, may not need to lead to a conviction for a DUI.
