devo55 said:
Are you serious? I am guessing that you are. Do you mean...that as a 50 year old guy...that I can't travel with my meds. in those daily pill organizers? That if stopped for some reason I am subject to arrest? That I need to take the original pill bottles along with me for all of my meds.? What the he_l has this Country come to anyway? Sorry for the rant...but this is ludicrous.
Jeff
Yes I am serious. I disagree that it is ludicrous. In all of the states that I know of, it is illegal to possess a controlled substance...(prescription meds,) without a copy of the prescription. Remember that many prescription meds are stolen from or sold by the person with the prescription for re-sale on the black market. The individual Officer as well as your interaction with them will probably make a difference. In all my years as a LEO I have never arrested an individual that had their med in a daily pill organizer. Druggies and Criminals don’t usually use them. That said, I have always verified that the said individual did have a Rx for the meds in question, and informed them that it is still a crime to have the meds without a copy of the Rx. One suggestion is to bring a copy of the Rx, (there is usually a copy of on stapled to the bag from the pharmacy,) along with you, if you choose to carry your meds in that fashion. Doing this would make you righteous again.
As far as these laws being “ludicrous,” think about this:
Laws are intended to protect society and individuals, or to curb / stop a specific behavior. The way that they are written is complex enough, and cannot possibly allow for every scenario or situation that can occur. If you can do a better job, I’d be the first to offer my assistance to you, as well as commend you.
This is where the discretion of the Officer comes into play. I have found that there are two types of Officers. “Spirit of the law types;” and “Letter of the law types.” Using the above scenario, I will explain both.
“Spirit of the law type”
You are driving your vehicle and your tag expired three months ago. An Officer pulls you over, (probably just to tell you to get your tag taken care of,) and requests your Drivers license. You open your Maxpedition Fat boy to get your D/L and the Officer sees your pill organizer. He questions you about the pills. He asks if you have a prescription and you say that you do. The Officer takes custody of the meds, (which is legal I might add,) and verifies what type of meds they are. The Officer then requests a copy of your prescription. You, of course say: “I don’t have a copy of it, but I do have a prescription for those meds.”
(It is at this point that the main differences of the types of Officers will become noticeable.) The Officer asks you which Pharmacy you use as well as its location. The Officer will then contact that Pharmacy and verify your prescription. (All of this takes up the Officers Valuable time because of
YOUR lack of adherence to the laws.) Once verified the Officer will most likely return your meds, explain the laws to you, give you the suggestion of carrying a copy of the prescription with you so you can avoid any future problems. This Officer will then most likely write you a written warning for your expired tag, (to justify to his/her supervisor what took so long, and why they don’t have someone in handcuffs.) Then you will be sent free to curse the officer, call him/her a pri_k, and complain that he/she should be out arresting real criminals instead of “harassing” you.
You might even go so far as to write a nasty letter to the chief about how you were mistreated and “Harassed” by this officer, causing the Officer any number of problems including possible suspension time and loss of pay, because Officers are held to a higher standard.
“Letter of the law type”
You are driving your vehicle and your tag expired three months ago. An Officer pulls you over, (probably to write you a ticket,) and requests your Drivers license. You open your Maxpedition Fat boy to get your D/L and the Officer sees your pill organizer. He questions you about the pills. He asks if you have a prescription and you say that you do. The Officer takes custody of the meds, (which is legal,) and verifies what type of meds they are. The Officer then requests a copy of your prescription. You, of course say: “I don’t have a copy of it, but I do have a prescription for those meds.”
This Officer smiles real big just before he/she pulls you from your vehicle, handcuffs you, and throws you in the back of the cruiser. He/she then has your vehicle towed to the impound, and completes the forfeiture paperwork, because the crime you
DID commit is a felony, and your vehicle was used during the commission of a felony. You are transported to the holding facility where you get your one call, (usually collect,) to contact someone to post your $3000.00 bail and get you out. You try to call your significant other’s cell phone, but collect calls don’t work on cell phones. There goes your one call… Too Bad. When, after enough begging, the corrections officer lets you try again, (usually the next day,) you call your home to find that no one is home. After a few days in lock-up, your significant other tries to report you missing only to be told by the responding officer “He’s not missing. He’s in jail for felony drug possession.” When you finally do post bail, you are issued a $300.00 citation for the expired tag on your corvette, which coincidentally is not yours anymore. All this only to find out that if you are convicted, your can no longer vote or own firearms or certain knives. You try to complain to the Chief about how you were wrongfully arrested and mistreated, and are laughed at, and told that the Officer has been made “Officer of the Year” because of his excellent work in drug interdiction, and the amazing number of arrests he/she has made, which makes the streets safer for all of the decent citizens; unlike yourself.
The latter example is obviously extreme, but possible because you violated the law.
No offense is intended or directed at anyone, just wanted to illustrate what could happen.
Jason
