I have two prescription drugs and several supplements I take daily. When I travel I usually put them in ziplock bags to save space rather than bringing the containers. Will I have any trouble getting into Canada if I have them in ziplock bags?
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I have two prescription drugs and several supplements I take daily. When I travel I usually put them in ziplock bags to save space rather than bringing the containers. Will I have any trouble getting into Canada if I have them in ziplock bags?
Thats the same question i needed an answer to .
At the very LEAST: take along copies of your prescriptions... :thumbup:
But since that won't identify what is actually in the bags: you might want to reconsider not using the original containers. nojoke
The odds of you being searched is probably pretty low but to be safe maybe you should keep them in the RX containers. I've crossed the border many times and have never been searched nor was anyone in our group of 10 Spyders on our Alaska trip. I have likely just jinxed myself but I've got nothing to hide! If you wear a full face helmet be prepared to remove it, they usually let you keep a modular on but the full face is a no go.
I just spent a month in London Ontario, I have been there a few time and was never searched, on this last trip I was randomly inspected and had most of my prescriptions in their bottles, I had one that I had in a zip bag and was warned that it is illegal not to have them accompanying their proper prescription, their reasoning was that it is too hard for them to identify them without testing them. And they are not in the habit of just taking your word for it.
I did have some in a pill box but I also had the original prescription bottles too.
I was a narcotics officer awhile ago. The prescription bottle with the label is you license to possess the drugs. The date of the prescription and the number of pills left in the bottle should also coincide with the dosage.
It's the same here at home in the USA keep the prescriptions in the original container, and the label had better be for you, not your friend's name. Supplements, well they have them in the markets in Canada also. A few days without your vitamins won't harm you, ( even though my wife thinks otherwise). Considering the traffic in pills, it's better to keep thing simple.
Canada is a wonderful place to visit, eye watering scenery, and lot's of good people, just like home.:yes: Have a grand trip!
GR8 INFO....
i'm heading to Nova Scotia, and never thought about this...
Thx John...
Dan P
SPYD3R
i don't travel, but i was told either prescriptions or a letter from your doctor saying you take the medications
It is probably best to keep the pills in the original bottles for the duration of the trip. What happens will be determined by the people at the border crossings at that day and that time.
I have mentioned this before, but will again. Spouse and I were crossing from Skagway into Canada. Each on our own :ani29::spyder2:,s. She rolled ahead before being asked. She got the full treatment. They went through all her saddlebags and trunk. Me, they just waved through. :dontknow: And I was carrying the prescriptions.
Thanks gang! Better to be safe than sorry. I'll carry all my drugs in their original containers.
Last night I went through the process of sorting my meds into little zip-lock bags for each day. But I'll also bring my collection of bottles, in case I have to prove what they are. I take six in the morning and four at night, so just using the bottles is cumbersome. So I like to pre-sort them.
I have watched the show Border Security and whenever they encounter pills that are not in their original prescription container, the person was handcuffed and placed in a cell until they could confirm what they are. This happens at both sides. It is also good to have a copy of the prescription. Like someone said, it is unlikely that you will be searched, but if you are, you could spend a few hours there until things get worked out. Remember, you have two borders to go through during this trip. Ours and yours. What may be fine for your state may not be ok federally and could land you in jail. Better to err on the side of caution.
Reasons not to go. Looks like here?
Your bottles label has the medication name as well as a description of the medication for identification
depending on a few factors most pharmacies can print you a duplicate label and bottle for the needed medication
as far as otc best to keep in a stock bottle if posisble
yes this adds bulk however I identified medication is often assumed to be illicit and if not then it is presumed not to be yours
smqe goes for pill boxes
sucks but you gotta see it from an officers view
I think I will go to Express Scripts and print out my medication list - it lists all the mail order and local pharmacy fills, along with the prescribing physician (if you see more than one doctor). But I will take the meds in the bottle now.........
In the state of Washington, Unlawful Possession of a Legend Drug is a Class C felony. A legend drug is any drug that requires you to have a prescription. Taking a legend drug, whether narcotic or otherwise and carrying them in any container other then the container issued by the hospital or pharmacy is illegal. This includes carrying them in those little plastic containers marked Sunday-Saturday that people use to store their weekly medications. The label on the container the medications come in, is basically your prescription, since it contains the patients name, name of the prescribing medical professional, name of the drug, the dosage, quantity prescribed, number of refills remaining, expiration date of the prescription and name and phone number of the dispensing hospital or pharmacy. I don't know what point of entry into Canada you intend to use, and it's true you may not be searched, but what if you are. What then? You are setting yourself up for a hassle of biblical proportions just because you didn't want to carry a couple of plastic bottles? Zip lock bags are so much more convenient. But at the end of the day, we all live with our choices and the consequences that come from those choices. I know what I would do.
You will not have a problem. I live just outside Detroit and have crossed the border many times. If you put them in the ziplock bag, just make sure they are in the prescription bottles they came in. This is what I have always done, and unless you act awful suspicious, they won't even look.
I would put them back in the bottles. A little extra time to take them out of the bottles when needed, may save you alot of headache if you are randomly searched. Besides, showing them the empty bottles doesn't mean that is what is in the baggies, and trust me, they don't like taking the time to explain things.