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Retired soccer goalie Hope Solo was sentenced to 30 days in jail after her DUI conviction on Monday, July 25th. As a member of the United States Women’s National Team, Solo won two Olympic gold medals and a FIFA World Cup as goalkeeper.

In March, Solo was found unconscious behind the wheel of a car with the engine running and two children in the car. Solo had a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.24 and a marijuana metabolite in her system. After the incident, Solo was charged with DUI and child abuse. The charges of child abuse were dropped.

Driving under the influence with children as passengers

In many states, DUI while having children in the car is punished more harshly than regular DUIs. In some cases like Solo’s, drivers can face charges of child abuse or child endangerment. In Pennsylvania, the state has to show more than the fact that the driver was under the influence to prove a case of child endangerment. 

DUI and cannabis

Medical marijuana card holders are permitted to consume cannabis for medical purposes in Pennsylvania. That doesn’t mean that a person who has a marijuana metabolite in their system can drive without getting a DUI. Although the legal question of whether just having a marijuana metabolite in your system is enough in itself to get a DUI is still unsettled, you can be convicted of DUI in the commonwealth if you’re under the influence of any drug to the point that you can’t drive safely.

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