It’s unlawful to possess prescription drugs without an actual prescription. If police pull you over on the road, carry out a search and discover you’re in possession of prescription pills – but the pill bottle isn’t the original container from the doctor with your name on it, you could find yourself in serious trouble with the law. Although a prescription drug possession crime is not usually as serious as a cocaine or LSD possession crime, these criminal charges come with stiff consequences for those who are convicted.
Fortunately, you might have a very easy way to defend yourself if the drugs were lawfully yours. During the initial phase of your criminal proceedings, you will simply need to product clear evidence that you had the right to possess your medication. This evidence might include:
- The original pill bottle that contained your medication that lists your name, the prescribing physician and the types of drugs inside.
- A letter from your doctor indicating that he or she prescribed you this medication and you were, therefore, in lawful possession of it.
- A receipt from the pharmacy that contains your relevant information, your doctor’s name and details about your prescription.
Even those who are in lawful possession of controlled pharmaceutical drugs could find themselves in danger of a drug charge conviction if, for example, they have been accused of selling or giving away their lawfully-prescribed medication to someone else. However, in most cases, when a defendant accused of illegal prescription drug possession can present the above kind of evidence to a criminal court judge, the criminal charges will be dismissed and/or dropped immediately.