Packing Asprin

[skammer]

If they are prescription meds and you have no script, you are NOT a lawful citizen...that is just the law, sorry, take it up with your congress person.

Maybe some live their lives in black and white and are a slave to the box but Leo's should have discretion and are urged to use good judgement.

Lets not get into the number of laws out there that if followed by the book would convict us all daily .

I can see the headlines now "elderly man dies of massive MI because he was arrested for not having his nitro pills in a scrip bottle but rather in a little capsule around his neck"

Common sense people.

Skam

 

[LSkylizard]

Maybe some live their lives in black and white and are a slave to the box but Leo's should have discretion and are urged to use good judgement...

That is fine. You can go on and rail against the machine. LEO do use judgement everyday. That doesn't mean the laws aren't what they are or that it is lawful to do what you think you should be able to do. Each individual needs to use common sense as well.

I assure you that if some young individual is carrying some un-identified pills in a ziplock baggy then the cops will likely check it out. They may give a warning or something more. It is very easy to remedy the situation. Just carry the script tag that the pharmacy gives you...or don't if you think the law is ludicrous and you should be able to do without. It can't be so hard to carry that little piece of paper? Hunters do it all the time with their game tags!

Carry your aspirin, carry your vitamins, carry whatever powders you want. Give us a break with the hypothetical drama scenarios to support your position.

...I can see the headlines now "elderly man dies of massive MI because he was arrested for not having his nitro pills in a scrip bottle but rather in a little capsule around his neck"...

You should just recognize we live in a narco nation and have been loosing the "war on drugs" before it started. Police are very sensitive to the issues of drugs and there are literally thousands of pills in the world and no-one recognizes them all. High school kids, college students, young singles are having pill bottle parties in which they empty their parent's or their pills in a punch bowl for all their friends to try. Kids are passing their script meds around to friends (i.e. ritalin, etc...). LEO would be failing their duty to allow someone THEY HAD SOME CAUSE to search to just "walk" (not saying everyone should be arrested) after finding some odd/unidentified pills in a little baggy. IMHO what is "ludicrous" is how rousted people are getting over some imagined right to carry prescription med without a prescription. :jerkit:

 

[skammer]

Lyz,

Dont get your knickers in a knot. I never touted junkies jonesing for a fix carry bags of illegal narcs in their pockets.

I just wanted to let some know that decent Leo's use good judgement and that if you have good reason to carry loose meds a good Leo will use common sense in that particular situation.

You do get worked up easy huh. :yawn:

Skam

 

[Cliff Stamp]

The same logic about breaking the law, can be applied to almost every folding knife in canada even the ones sold in stores (you can't use that as a defence, it has come up on the forums).

People know this, discuss it openly on the forums, and yet will not hesitate to recommend knives which are illegal because they think the law is idiotic. They will even discuss how to try to get around the law when shipping knives to canada.

If the above logic was extended you would suggest that no one in canada carry knives from Benchmade, Buck, Spyderco, etc. . because according to the strict letter of the law, all of these knives are illegal.

Yes you carry tags when hunting or when fishing, but you don't pack them in kits for emergencies and break up your tags to make sure you always have them on you in case.

I'd keep prescription pills with labels and such for lots of reasons not related to legality which are more relevant to a *survival* situation, such as having to depend on someone else.

Interesting point though that it is considered a federal offense to carry them without a prescription even if you do actually have one and can produce proof of it.

-Cliff

 

[LSkylizard]

...You do get worked up easy huh...

No. I just find some individuals, not necessarily you, start suggesting things and cloud some IMHO fundamental points of consideration. A cop is not likely to arrest an elderly guy with nitro tabs or even a few pills of lipitor. That being said, you do take a risk when you put anything that can be construed as illicit drugs into a ziplock baggy without adequate means of identification.

...If the above logic was extended you would suggest that no one in canada carry knives from Benchmade, Buck, Spyderco, etc. . because according to the strict letter of the law, all of these knives are illegal...

Not sure if this was posed to me. I will reply just in case. No, I would not recommend any knife...I am not a knife expert. If asked, I would give my opinion as to what my experience may be with a particular knife and if I thought it was a blade of quality. I would not start encouraging individuals to carry an item illegal in their own country because I disagreed with their laws. I would not try to aid them in breaking their laws. I leave it up to them to know the laws of their own country to the best of their ability and petition for change if their countries laws do not suit them. As someone with a military background, I believe that is what freedom is all about!...Yes, I know about the whole Boston tea party in the USA past...I leave that approach to the individual. Drink a Snapple

 

[Junkyard]

Gee, all I asked about was carrying a coupla asprin and one or two lipitor (for colestrol).

Ps: As an Auxiliary Police Officer with over 25 years experience in New York City, I think I can say with reasonable certantinty that the chances of being busted for a baggie with one or two heart meds (without there being any other "crime" being involved) is pretty much on the down side here. Maybe in Dip$hitte Iowa this is a serious offence against the Laws of The Land, but fortunately it has been my experience dealing with officers frrom all over the country (and many parts of the world) , that the vast majority of LEO's are reasonable, responsible professionals who don't have the time or inclination for such behavior.

Sure, there are going to ber stories about the bad eggs, but what job dosen't have a few of those?

Hmmmm, all this on account of I wanted to carry a coupla asprin......... OK, I will buy the foil packet!!!

Maybe I'm getting a little defensive here, But I don't live in "Dip$hitte Iowa"
I just moved to Idaho from South Florida, (10 years on the job.) I agree that there is a big difference and they are definately small town up here, but we moved here for a better quality of life, not for the action. The scenario I gave was based on Florida experiences, as Idaho is so nice there are no dirt bags here. South Florida is an area that is well know for being one of the largest Drug areas in the country. More so than NYC. ( I'm From New York originally.) I did numerous ride alongs with my cousin at NYPD. He did them with me as well. After comparing notes we realized that they are different worlds. My cousin also said that we dealt more with drugs and were busier than they were. Maybe that had to do with manpower issues, I’m not sure. I was a training officer as well, and I had many trainees that left NYPD to come to Florida. A surprising number of them quit while in training. Many of them told me that we just worked to hard for them. I also had many of the reserve / Auxiliary ride and train with me. Most of them were great guys, and I appreciated them volunteering their time to do such a thankless job, but some of them were just power hungry nut jobs. Those guys were always booted out of my cruiser.
I have been involved in two justified fatal shootings. I was stabbed once which resulted in a collapsed right lung, not to mention several broken bones and two teeth that were knocked out. I am not complaining at all. It was to be expected as I worked the roughest area in our jurisdiction. But I do take offense to a weekend warrior criticizing anyone who has actually lived it, "Dip$hitte Iowa" or big city. LEOs die just as easy in one as the other.


Jason

 

[rhino]

So what does the "lawful" citizen do if he's only got professional samples from his MD and paper prescription? It happens all the time.

Trying to do something about such stupid laws (like get them repealed or amended) is the epitome of tilting at windmills, so the only thing we have left is to complain about it.

The best way to go through life is "don't ask; don't tell." Part of not "telling" is not doing anything to attract unwarranted attention from police.

 

[motorcycleman]

Giving my 2 cents... (hey, how come my keyboard doesn´t have a cents key?! I think it wouldn´t be a problem to carry the prescription or the pills in a pillbox with some type of info; thinking what if you are knocked unconscious and someone stops to help you, it´s easier for them to call for info/help having the prescripton /medicine ID at hand. Even easier I imagine if it´s a paramedic. Tim

 

[Cliff Stamp]

I would not start encouraging individuals to carry an item illegal in their own country because I disagreed with their laws.

However many people do, and when they do, openly, no one starts responding in bold, and critizing other people for suggesting someone carry a knife which can get them a "prohibited weapon" charge. What does happen from time to time is that it comes up, there is discussion that it is illegal, people complain, note how stupid it is, how to work around it, and then go back to ignoring it.

Some of the restrictions are much more likely to cause an issue than others, automatics for example are much more likely than inertial openers to catch someone's eye, but both are just as illegal if someone decides to make an issue of it. Similar with drugs, an adult with a few insulin pills in a *survival* kit and a teenager going to school with a baggie full of ratalin are fairly different.

In regards to drugs in a survival kit, most (all?) expire, so make sure you note when you put them in the kit. I would avoid the child proof tops as they can be very difficult to open in extreme circumstances.

-Cliff

 

[maury]

Jason-

First off,no offence intended in my last post: I have only the highest respect for police officers where ever they may serve. My experience as an Auxillary Officer here in NYC has shown me a side of the job that most people will never know or understand, and I thank you for your years of brave service.

And I do not mean to minimize the threat and danger of drugs: This month I attended 2 inspectors funerals for two fine young men , NYC Police Officers, who were gunned down in the streets. They died in defence of this city. In both cases, drugs were involved.

 

[Junkyard]

Jason-

First off,no offence intended in my last post: I have only the highest respect for police officers where ever they may serve. My experience as an Auxillary Officer here in NYC has shown me a side of the job that most people will never know or understand, and I thank you for your years of brave service.

And I do not mean to minimize the threat and danger of drugs: This month I attended 2 inspectors funerals for two fine young men , NYC Police Officers, who were gunned down in the streets. They died in defence of this city. In both cases, drugs were involved.

Maury
I am sorry for the misunderstanding. Thank you.

I am very saddened to hear about the loss of our Brother Officers. My thoughts and prayers go out to their families, friends and comrades.

The LINE has been weakened yet again.

It is sad times such as this that I am reminded of this quote:

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm" - George Orwell

Many would do well to ponder this quote.

Jason

 

[Grim/Don]

Reading this thread has brought up some questions from me...

I just got of a prescription for a sinus infection. To transport the medicine back and forth to work, I just threw the whole bottle in my lunch box (it was the one from the pharmacy and had all the usual info on it.) Would that be acceptable or should I also include the paper from the pharmacy as well? (I would think having the bottle with my name, the pharmacy info and the pill description on it would be okay, but I want to clarify that.

Also, I take a daily vitamen. Instead of packing the huge bottle, I just pour some in a baggie and leave that in my lunch box as well. What can I do now, to prevent any possible future misunderstandings? (short of lugging the big bottle, I don't have room for it.)

Thanks for this thread, I'd never thought that pills-in-a-baggie could be a concern. I like to take care of anything that may cause a problem if I'm ever stopped (it's been more than 12 years, and that was the only time in my life, but still...)

 

[skammer]

Reading this thread has brought up some questions from me...

I just got of a prescription for a sinus infection. To transport the medicine back and forth to work, I just threw the whole bottle in my lunch box (it was the one from the pharmacy and had all the usual info on it.) Would that be acceptable or should I also include the paper from the pharmacy as well? (I would think having the bottle with my name, the pharmacy info and the pill description on it would be okay, but I want to clarify that.

This is the funny part about all this. YOu could have any pill you want in the scrip bottle. Unless a leo knows every pill you could be carrying illegal narcs and nobody would be the wiser.

This thread is near useless realy.:jerkit:

I would think the scrip bottle would be enough. No worries.

SKam

 

[devo55]

Hey...sorry that I dragged this thread a bit off topic. I wasn't really aware that what I was doing was a problem. I also realize that most officers will be reasonable about this kind of thing, taking into account that I am an "old guy" with his family in a SUV on the way to the beach. Next time I'll just take the pill bottles or a copy of the scrip.

Thanks for the insight on this issue. It was an interesting discussion. Merry Christmas!

Jeff

 

[crawfordew]

Hey...sorry that I dragged this thread a bit off topic. I wasn't really aware that what I was doing was a problem. I also realize that most officers will be reasonable about this kind of thing, taking into account that I am an "old guy" with his family in a SUV on the way to the beach. Next time I'll just take the pill bottles or a copy of the scrip.

Thanks for the insight on this issue. It was an interesting discussion. Merry Christmas!

Jeff

Of course then there's the gung ho young officers with the mirrored sunglasses!

Gene

 

[cleaner145]

This is the funny part about all this. YOu could have any pill you want in the scrip bottle. Unless a leo knows every pill you could be carrying illegal narcs and nobody would be the wiser.

This thread is near useless realy.:jerkit:

I would think the scrip bottle would be enough. No worries.

SKam

Skam - I decided that I would weigh in on this one. I am also a L.E.O. in S. Fla for over 20 years and have dealth with very situation. Obviously common sense comes into play here. I am not a pharmacist so I don't know every pill, but within 5-10 minutes I have access to that information 24/7 via telephone or laptop pc. A script bottle is good enough as long as your name is on the script and the pills inside match. Follow the law, or get it changed (which ain't gonna happen for very good reasons). Most bad guys think they are smarter then us dumb cops, but honest folks should not be mislead by bad info into making these same easily avoided mistakes. And if you are dealing with some of the new Gen. X,Y,or Z cops out there, you are on your own as they already know everything.

 

[skammer]

Skam - I decided that I would weigh in on this one. I am also a L.E.O. in S. Fla for over 20 years and have dealth with very situation. Obviously common sense comes into play here. I am not a pharmacist so I don't know every pill, but within 5-10 minutes I have access to that information 24/7 via telephone or laptop pc. A script bottle is good enough as long as your name is on the script and the pills inside match. Follow the law, or get it changed (which ain't gonna happen for very good reasons). Most bad guys think they are smarter then us dumb cops, but honest folks should not be mislead by bad info into making these same easily avoided mistakes. And if you are dealing with some of the new Gen. X,Y,or Z cops out there, you are on your own as they already know everything.

Agreed,

What if a normal looking SUV driver with the kids in the back is found to have a scrip bottle containg pills you do not recognize? I bet he gets a pass more often than not meanwhile they are illegally obtained pain meds hes addicted too. Suburban junkies are more prevelant than we all know.

My point is, just because they are in a bottle with a label doesn't make it legal.

I wouldnt expect over worked leo's would research every case of scrip medication found on seemingly innocent looking people either. I also wouldnt expect a leo to run in an older man wearing a nitro capsule around his neck with little white heart pills in it.

Its a judgement call for sure.

Skam

 

[Grim/Don]

My scrip bottle has a description and indentification info of the contents. (I dug the bottle out of the cabinet.)

The prescription was for Amoxicillian, and the bottle has a blank area where it says:

OVAL WHITE TABLET
Side 1 GG N7

It also has my name and the name of the pharmacy, along with the address and phone. Also my doctor's name and the date are on there. So I feel 99 percent safe with something like that. If I was foolish enough to put little blue pills in a bottle from last year, then I would expect problems.

But what should I do about the vitamens? Cut the label off the bottle and put that in the zip lock bag? LEO's? Would that look okay to you?

 

[cleaner145]

My scrip bottle has a description and indentification info of the contents. (I dug the bottle out of the cabinet.)

The prescription was for Amoxicillian, and the bottle has a blank area where it says:

OVAL WHITE TABLET
Side 1 GG N7

It also has my name and the name of the pharmacy, along with the address and phone. Also my doctor's name and the date are on there. So I feel 99 percent safe with something like that. If I was foolish enough to put little blue pills in a bottle from last year, then I would expect problems.

But what should I do about the vitamens? Cut the label off the bottle and put that in the zip lock bag? LEO's? Would that look okay to you?

I can't speak for the entire country, but it is simply not that difficult to identify pills anymore in a metropolitan area. With everyone having a cell phone and/or a laptop in with them it is simply a matter of contacting a local resource such as a 24 hour pharmacy or hospital. Only controlled substances need to be maintained with their actual perscription, thus vitamins are not included. Your best bet is simply to leave them in the bottle they came in with the perscription on the label if you are going to travel. If asked simply reply honestly and that should take care of it. If you are ever involved in a case where the identity of a pill is in question suggest the above resources. Newer officers may not think to do this simple idea. In the end, the LEO's I know are certainly not looking to arrest honest people with their own medication. There are more then enough bad guys/gals out there.