Many people in the United States use prescription drugs every day. Many more will take them for a short time, such as those who take narcotics and other painkillers after having surgery.
In either one of these situations, you may find yourself wondering if you can share that medication with someone else. It could be that someone asked to borrow it from you, that they asked if they could buy it, or just that you noticed they were suffering from similar symptoms and you thought it might help. Are you allowed to do this?
Sharing prescriptions is illegal
You’re actually not allowed to share prescription medications, even when you mean well. It is illegal for someone who doesn’t have a prescription to use the medicine. It’s also legal for you to give it to them, as you’re distributing the pills in a way that isn’t in accordance with your prescription.
People sometimes think that the way to get around this is simply not to sell the medication. Maybe they did have to pay a lot of money for it initially, and they know that selling it to someone else would be illegal, so they assume they can just give it to them for free. But it is not explicitly the sale of that prescription medication that is illegal, but the sharing itself. So even doing this for free could put you in violation of the exact law that you’re trying not to break.
What are your legal options?
If something like this does happen to you and you suddenly find yourself facing serious drug charges, then it’s important for you to take the time to look into all of your available legal options.