Many people think that only illegal drugs can get you into trouble with the police. So they can be surprised to learn that prescription drugs can also lead to arrest.
There are several ways this could happen. Understanding them helps you avoid those situations:
1. They affect your driving
Some prescription medicines contain alcohol which could affect a breathalyzer reading leading to DUI charges (provided, of course, that you have also drunk some alcohol).
Some, such as hayfever medicines, cause drowsiness. If you fall asleep at the wheel and cause a serious crash, you could face charges if someone is injured or killed.
2. You use someone else’s medicines
Prescriptions are personal. If, for example, your friend gets opiate painkillers or study drugs from the doctor, that does not mean you can use them or carry them around. Those drugs are still illegal for you.
3. Someone steals your medicines
Maybe it’s you that has the prescription for opiate painkillers. There is a massive demand for these at the moment, and some people are willing to steal other people’s drugs or impersonate them at pharmacies to get drugs. The police may assume you sold them to them.
4. Someone steals your prescription pad
If you are a doctor, you need to be aware that people may try to steal your prescription pad to take to pharmacies to claim drugs such as opiates. If the police catch someone doing this, they may assume that as it is your pad being used, you were knowingly involved. Pharmacists can face similar problems if gangs see them as an easy place to pass off false prescriptions.
Drug charges can have serious consequences, so be sure to get legal help to fight them.