Does the Ambien Defense Have a Leg to Stand On?

There are many different ways you can defend yourself when facing criminal charges in Ohio. Some defenses work better than others. Some are quite creative, and others follow a trend. One trend that people seem to keep coming back to is the Ambien defense.

According to Time, the Ambien defense is when people take Ambien or a similar sleep medication and claim it made them do something they normally would not do in an unaltered state of mind. Many well-known people have used this claim to defend against their actions, including criminal actions.

The Claim

It is a known fact that taking sleep aids can alter your brain. You may get up and do things, such as eat or clean, and never be aware that you are doing them. Furthermore, you may never remember doing them. There are also records of sleep aids causing people to commit strange acts. This is why some people try to use taking it as a defense.

There have been people who made the claim that taking a sleep aid made them commit a crime. This includes driving drunk and even murder.

Its Success

Sometimes the defense works, and sometimes it does not. It certainly is not a slam dunk defense. Often, this is because it is not entirely clear how many of a person’s actions are due to the medication. No one knows for sure that the medication could suddenly turn a law-abiding person into a criminal. Furthermore, many times when people have used it as a defense, it was difficult to believe that the drug was the only influence.

As far as defenses go, the Ambien defense is not a strong one. On its own, there is too much doubt for it to be effective.