Controlled substances or illegal possession of items are serious offenses punishable by law. There are three main types of drug offenses: actual possession, constructive possession and possession with intent to deliver. Actual possession is when an illegal substance is found on the defendant. An example would be if a defendant was found with cocaine in his pocket, this shows the defendant has possession of the drug. An officer is not able to search an individual for drugs unless there is reasonable suspicion present, and then at that time a pat down can be conducted. Constructive possession is opposite of possession. The individual in this case does not have either the illegal substance or item but is in immediate reach, use or to move. Possible locations could be a car or backpack that belongs to the defendant. An example would be if a person had an illegal gun in backpack and this is located in house, the person then has access to use gun and therefore considered a constructive possession. Possession with intent to deliver is when a defendant is in possession of drugs and has intent to sell or distribute.  An illustration of possession with intent is if an individual has in his possession a substantial amount of heroin and tries to sell to another person or takes from one place to another. This type of offenses is the most serious and categorized as a felony offense. If found guilty incarceration time could be in a prison facility for one year or greater.

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These laws insure that any underage driver found with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level over 0.00 will be found guilty of impaired driving and face serious penalties. It is illegal in every state for a person under the age of 21 to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages. In support of these laws, it should be illegal for a person under 21 who has been drinking to drive. A zero tolerance law makes it illegal per se for a person under the age of 21 to drive with nay measurable amount of alcohol in their blood.
 

As of September 1995, 33 states and the District of Columbia had established lower blood alcohol concentration levels for youthful drivers. Twenty seven states and the District of Columbia have established illegal per se levels of .00, .01, or .02BAC for drivers under 21. ( Some states use .01 or .02 BAC to define zero tolerance to allow for variations in alcohol testing instruments.)  In Florida DUI laws was past in 1997 and provides for the administrative license suspension of any driver under the age of 21 who is found to have a blood alcohol content of .02 or greater.
 

            To be effective, a zero tolerance law should allow a police officer to require a breath test from a driver under the age of 21 if the officer has probable cause to believe that the driver has been drinking. If the driver refuses the test or the test reveals an alcohol level, then the driver should be subject to sanctions, including loss of his or hers driver’s license.

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        Traffic crashes are the NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH for teenagers in the United States. Research has shown that young impaired drivers are involved in fatal crashes at approximately twice the rate of adults 21 and over. Drivers’ age 16-20 have the highest risk of being killed in a traffic crash of any age group ( U.S.Department of Transportation, NHTSA, 1998). In fact in 1998, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for this age group year-old constituted the single tear age group with the highest number of fatalities. In addition, some 22% of the drivers in the 16-20 years old age group’s fatal crashes had a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .01 or higher. In your first few years of driving, you are still learning to handle the demand of the road. A good driver needs clear vision, sound, judgment, and reason, quick reflexes, and solid concentration. Drinking even a little bit  messes up all of these skills. This law is necessary to keep teenagers from drinking and driving to keep them safe and other innocent people.
 

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