Impairment

Impairment in the general sense means to be under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or some other substance which causes one's physical or mental faculties to perform differently and in a less effective fashion.

In the Duke lacrosse case, the question of impairment came up at various points, primarily on the question of whether Crystal Gail Mangum might have been impaired on the night of the party, either by her own actions or by those of another.