Narcotic presciption law... PLEASE READ!

[sandee1818]

This is outragous!
I thought it would be crucial information for us to know though.
It is really terrible what happened to this person. I do not want this to happen to any of you here so please keep this in mind.


There needs to be a law requiring labeling stating that all prescribed narcotic prescriptions must be kept in their original prescribed bottles at all times!

I currently always keep a day or two's worth of all my medication (non-narcotic & narcotic) mixed together in one pill bottle and keep it on me in my purse.  To me it is easier, than keeping two or three large bottles of narcotic medications in my purse, which could easily be lost or stolen.  At home, I keep a weeks worth in those daily medication carriers, because I lock the rest of my narcotics up in a fire proof safe.  This also keeps unknown people in my house from getting to them along with my 5 yr old daughter.

Recently, I went on a trip for a week to visit my father out of state where he was working.  I had my mixed medication bottle in my purse, and a weeks worth of medication in their bottles packed in my suit cases, which were in the back of my car that I was driving.  I left the rest home, since I just got a month's supply and I didn't want to take a chance of them being lost or stolen. Also a friend told me he was arrested while going away for a week and he had his full months prescription on him, so they got him on intent to sell or distribute dangerous controlled substances, because the cop said he did not need a full month's worth of medication for a week's trip! (What happened to keeping the medication together in their prescribed bottle?)  So anyway, I was pulled over for speeding during my drive up to where I was going.  The cop didn't search my car, but went through my purse and saw the medication bottle, which he opened.  He asked me what all the pills were, and I was completely honest with him.  I also told him the prescription bottles were packed away in my suit cases. I stated that I kept a few out of each, because I did not know how long that I would be on the road traveling.  Now I have been on these medications for more than 5 years, so there was no driving while intoxicated because they did not work like that on me.  The cop arrested me for being in possession of dangerous controlled substances!  Now, until this, I did not know it was illegal to carry narcotics that you have prescriptions for in other means.  I mean why do they make pill cases without warning labels on them?  These ended up being Felony charges against me!  I couldn't get the DA to drop the case even though I had valid prescriptions for them.  Plus they were confiscated and I ran short at the end of the month, so I went through withdrawl a few days.

I called the DEA, no one could find this law!  I looked under the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, and it is not there!  So I firmly believe if this is supposed to be a federal law that you can go to jail for, then it should be easy to find and it is not!  

THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THAT THIS LAW SHOULD BE MADE MORE PUBLICALLY KNOWN TO ALL THOSE ON PAIN MEDS AND IT SHOULD BE LABELED ON THE BOTTLE, LIKE THE OTHER LABELS, STATING " PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION MUST BE KEPT WITH ORIGINAL CONTAINER AT ALL TIMES."

I have talked to many and  many people who have run into this situation that was clueless like myself.  I think this law change and labeling addition would say alot of police officer's and courts time & money!

  

[sandee1818]

I wanted to add that if you are arrested for driving under the influance the police will take you to the ER and have blood drawn before your even booked. They will have the results when it comes time see the judge. As Red has said it is against the law to drive while under the influance of these medications so even though your legally prescibed the medications that is in your blood and blood work they still can prosecute you. They can but rarely ask for specialist to testify because legally you were in the wrong for driving under the influance.
I am not trying to be the bad guy here just making sure this is very clear.
I think we should have laws to protect us rather than prohibit us from doing what we need to such as take these medications that is for a disease just like any other disease.
If you think though about the people who are not legitimate Pt's that are/will drive while under the influance of these drugs in MUCH higher amounts than we take that are on the roads there to cause accidents and possibly kill someone that is what the laws are for unfortunately we are caught in the middle.

[kiddthekatt]

  Red;
    Oh I know about the baggie thing, I've flown several times but I have never had a problem until this last time. These 2 big Brutus like guys looked liked they might have been Mercenaries, they definitely demanded attention. Their supervisor had heard everything and knew that the qeustioning was out of line. And to top off everything else, they took my cane....:( I refused to to budge until I got my cane back. I gave them "the look " ( my grandson calls it)and continued on down to board my plane. It could have been worse I guess But it was too much for me.

Angel

[Red931]

Angel,

You are allowed to carry those prescriptions onto the plane with you in that manner and the DEA actually encourages you to do so. If I get a chance I will post that also.

They want you to have the drugs on your person during a flight to prevent theft or tampering if they were to be in a checked bag. You are correct in that you were dealing with two idiots. This world is full of them. Stupidity isn't against the law and the only reason for that is because the people that would have to pass the law (politicians) were be guilty of breaking it as soon as the ink dried on the paper it was written on.

[kiddthekatt]

I have to agree with Red on this one. It's not worth the hassle. A couple of months ago I had to fly into the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. My grand-baby was having oral surgery and my daughter was a nervous wreck. I didn't dare put my meds in a checked in bag so I put them all in a zip lock baggie. I take 10 different meds several times a day, so you know that baggie was bulging.

  Since having my knee replaced I always set off that damn scanner thing and that's when the show began. I handed them the card that I carry from my surgeon with his name and phone number so that anyone can verify the info on my knee. After the fiasco of the knee was finally over, they started in about my meds. Each bottle was labeled, in date and had my name on all of them.

  " Why are you carrying this many bottles? What are they for? Did you know that these are controlled drugs?" By that time my knees were falling off, my head was pounding and I had had enough. I asked them as nicely as I could if I needed my attorney? That's when the supervisor came out. He looked at me and then at these two big brutes and started apologizing. Evidently these two brutes had overstepped the line. Duh!!

   My son-in-law drove me back home to Houston. I just could not go through the rituals of trying to fly again with my meds in a baggie. It's not only those who are driving, it seems that the meds we depend on to function day to day make people suspicious. That's fine but to me it's just not worth the hassle of that type of interrogation, and the embarrassment of people looking at me like I was trying to sneak controlled drugs aboard a plane. We have to be very careful.

gentle hugs
Angel

[Red931]

For those of you that are interested in the law in NJ that was the subject of this thread here it is:

2C:35-24.     Possession of certain prescription drugs

A person who possesses a controlled dangerous substance that was prescribed or dispensed lawfully may possess it only in the container in which it was dispensed; except that the person may possess no more than a 10-day supply in other than the original container if the person produces, upon the request of a law enforcement officer, the name and address of the practitioner who prescribed the substance or the pharmacist who dispensed it.  A person who violates this section is a disorderly person.



The law is written similar in all the other states also.

[Red931]

I agree with you 100%. They can tell when you have taken your medications because of the concentration levels in your blood.

For me, it just isn't worth the hassle.