Sharing or selling your prescription medication is a crime, and could result in serious legal and medical consequences. Nevertheless, the practice seems more common than we thought. A study by the CDC suggests that nearly 30% of adults have either given or received prescription medications from others. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a report a few years ago which stated “Patients receiving legitimate prescriptions for opioids and other prescription drugs prone to abuse may be knowingly or unknowingly contributing to prescription drug abuse by sharing medications with people who abuse them or not storing or disposing of them properly leaving them available for diversion.”
And this risky behavior occurs in every age bracket. In a recent AARP article, the author addressed this growing problem among our seniors. Sharon
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A recent article posted by The Burns Law Group, a legal firm in Georgia, states “While medical prescriptions are yours, you should only use them for your own needs, and not for others who may want them. Giving or selling medications, from opiates to anxiety drugs, could end up in serious criminal charges.”
In fact, patients should read the fine print on the prescription label for any controlled substance dispensed in the U.S. Written, sadly so small it is easily missed, are these words: “Caution: Federal law prohibits the transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom it was prescribed.”
As a pharmacist I understand that the vast majority of patients are not selling or sharing their medication. Nevertheless, 70% of individuals with a prescription substance abuse problem say that they obtained their drugs from a friend or family member. Some people steal them. Other times pills are “innocently” shared by a patient who has no idea they are being abused or