legal possession

Can someone explain this to me....is it illegal to have in your possession pain medication without a prescription if you have legitimate pain?  I get confused as to what is legal and what isn't...   What happens if you get caught with that medication even if you are taking it for a medical need?

[dominosarah]

In the state i live in it is illegal to have pain meds on you without a prescription with your name on the bottle.

[ochooked]

That is true in every State --- You must have a legit prescription or you will get busted.  It is not a misdeamer -- this is a felony.  All the best.

[TrayCee]

It must be in the exact bottle with your name on it or its illeagle

[mjax024]

no matter what state you're in, the name on your driver's liscence had better match the one on the rx bottle. It's almost always a court case if you get caught with pills like that. even worse, they'll contact the person on the bottle, and tha pharmacy or the doctor thats printed on the bottle to find out why you have their rx. it's a huge, huge mess. and you could be "red flagged" in the pharmacy system, no matter what pharmacy you go to, you're name will flash on the screen after catching a possesion case like this. good luck. plz, never,ever have someone else's bottle on you.

[avisg]

yes it sure is

[Tuck24]

It's illegal ONLY if it's a scheduled drug or narcotic. And it WILL turn into a felony depending on how many you have, what you have and how you got it. When I was a Police Officer I arrested a few that were multiple count felonies. Be Careful. Peace.

[Tuck24]

It does'nt really matter. Why would you have it on you other than criminal intent. Depends on the officer, they can still charge you for something at any time...trust me.

[worried878]

yes....no scrip then it is illegal..it is not up to the officer who pulls u over or who arrests u to determine whether u r in pain or not..he is not a physician...this is really not an intelligent question? but it does not have to be i guess but i would take it as a no brainer...if u are using without a scrip..how could it be legal?

[kim715]

I live in Pennsylvania and when I would get my take home bottles of methadone they had my name on it..However,the clinic I got it from told me that if I were ever to get caught with it while I was out and about that the police could take it from me and depending on the officer I could end up facing a charge.

[Tuck24]

Kim.....same as an open container or liquor. If they suspect you of driving under the influence they can take you in and take your meds, but they have to return it if you're clean. And it is up to the Officer. I once pulled a guy over, broken tail light and he just got off work and was having a real bad day. I asked him if I could search and found nothing. Just before I let him go, this is the funny part, I told him to wait to smoke the joint he had put above his ear, until he got home. He almost passed out. Forgot it was there. But I could've arrested him but did'nt.

[merrymaria]

even 1 pill without a script is illegal.  you better have a bottle with your name and the correct pills in it.  i know someone who had 1 vicodin in her purse, police fouind it and now this is on her court record which is public in hamilton co.

[Nattefrost]

Just read everybodys posts. Yes its Illegal. It has to have YOUR name and the Pill in the bottle has to be the pill IT SAYS ON the bottle.

[lovemypillhead]

Hell yeah that's illegal.

In order to have narcotics on you or in your possession, you must have an actual presciption from a real doctor and the script must be in your name!  

[dominosarah]

In my state you HAVE to have your narcotics in the actual prescription bottle with your name on them.  Just a good rule of thumb.  No sense taking that chance.  

[kim715]

I think thats a good example as to why you should ALWAYS carry your pills in the bottle that they came in with your name on it.No sense having to go through a court proceeding,miss a days work,not to mention the stress of it all.Sara is right,no sense taking that chance.

[enemy48]

This is what a doctor told me once.

Never drive if you have a bottle of pills that you've already taken from.

Ex:  if you have a bottle of 20, and there's only 18, then you can be arrested for driving under the influence.

Another Ex:  If you only want to carry a couple on you, even if in the bottle, then if the bottle reads take 3 times a day, and you just filled them yesterday, then they can suspect either you're not taking as prescribed, or selling them.

Of course you can prove the policeman wrong.....if you go to court.

Here in Louisiana, you cannot have pain medication on you without a prescription.

[dominosarah]

Good point enemy.......i do know they are arresting people here for being under the influence also.  One more reason for being thankful i am clean.        sara

[Tuck24]

Enemy: You can only be arrested for shortage of pills if you had them filled that day and are driving. Also it clearly state on the label "DO NOT DRIVE OR OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY"

To Lovemypillhead: You Go! She got me earlier too. Always remember as a rule of thumb, you have nothing to worry about if it's all LEGIT, bottle or no bottle. Burden of proof is always on the officer.

[lovemypillhead]

And, I do like on here (medhelp) all the different people we have.

Some people are cops
Some people are nurses
Some work for child services
Some are attorneys
Some are counselors for addiction

Based on that, rocketship, i would listen to someone like Tuck24 since he was a cop.  He would know about laws more so than a nurse, probably.  Not knocking nurses!  I would listen to a nurse over a cop regarding medical situations!  

[avisg]

Bottom Line,
IT IS ILLEAGLE TO HAVE A CONTROLED SUBSTANCE IF IT IS NOT PRECRIBED TO YOU ITS A FEDRAL LAW

[morganave]

What I do is keep an old bottle from a previous fill and I put a few of my pills in there if I need to take them with me.  I use it with all kinds of meds not just narcs.
That way, if I need to take one, the count will be okay.  I hope my post is not earased, because I am not trying to tell anyone how to get narcs, just trying to help someone who may need to transport their meds  legally.  I personally do not like to carry my entire amount of any kinds of meds I may be on in case my car  is broken into or someone takes my purse.  It has happened, and I had to go through heck just to get my inhaler filled, and my birthcontrol as well.
Is it not  legal to put your meds in a weekly or daily med case in your purse or car?

[Tuck24]

Anything but a narcotic. You must be able to prove the narcotic has been prescribed to you by "current prescription bottle" to the officer. If not, he will just take you to jail because he don't have time to verify with pharmacies. He will let you do that in court and then the Burden of Proof is on you. If its stolen file a police report and give it to your doctor.

[morganave]

So what you are saying is that you can not put narcs in a pill reminder and put into your purse.  You are better off carring all your pills everywhere you go in case you may need one during the day?  I hate to do that, you never know if they will get lost or stolen.  Just because you make out a police report does not mean you will get your meds refilled.  I have to go to on a 10 hr trip on the 16th that is round trip.  I will need my pain meds after that drive.  So I will have to bring the entire bottle? Not just enough to cover my trip?
What if I were to get a note from my dr that he prescribes my meds?
Seems sad that a grown women can't take a few pills with her if needed.
All so could you please tell me when people   post about being hooked on codine cough syrup, are they from another country?  I believe that there are no more states in the USA that you can buy that without a script.  Are there different laws in other countries about needing scripts for meds with a narcotic in them?  I am not trying to relocate to a new country for narcs, just find it very interesting.