Bringing in Drugs from Canada
Hello
I am a 26 year old student with a history of back pain following a bad car accidnt a few years back. I have no health insurance but will be going on a trip to Canada in a few days. This is all hearsay but I have heard that they have some painkillers (Tylenol 3?) available over the counter in Canada... is it legal to bring these back into the United States?
thank you very much... I want to do whatever I can to stay inside the law.
Re: Bringing in Drugs from Canada
The Canadian OTC Tylenol with Codeine is a lot less strong than Tylenol 3.
It is my understanding that you can bring back a 90-day supply, which would likely be regarded as 90 - 100 pills, and that you have to declare the medication at the border. U.S. Customs does keep records, and does keep track of how often you import medications. They can ask you which doctor in the United States is overseeing your treatment, and has approved the medication for your use, or ask you to document that you commenced treatment with the medication while in Canada pursuant to the instruction of a Canadian physician. (Yes, it used to be easier. This is largely due to the Bush Administration's coddling of the drug industry, although there are some Democrats who are just as bad.)
This isn't about you - it's for the general benefit of anybody who later reads this thread: Anybody reading this should also be aware that abusing any medication containing Tylenol is highly dangerous, as the Tylenol will quickly reach toxic levels in the body and there is a high probability of liver damage. (This is even more the case for people who consume alcohol.) As the Canadian OTC Tylenol with Codeine has relatively small amounts of Codeine, to abuse that Codeine you would have to consume truly dangerous amounts of Acetominophen.