# Is codeine OTC in Canada? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325 "2011-08-03T14:54:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/41 "2011-08-07T18:16:59Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Marijuana and LSD are not scheduled as narcotics. > > You need to read my post again to clear up your own confusion. I was answering a specific question about whether or not it was legal to bring drugs across the border that had been _legally purchased without a prescription_. That was the question. I cited the CBP page which said that “_non-narcotic_” drugs which had been legally obtained could be brought across in small quantities (50 doses or less), and then said I didn’t know if codeine was specifically categorized as “narcotic” or not. Ok? Understand it now? I note you leave out the next sentence in your post, which was quoted above. I’ll type this out slower this time. Codeine is a narcotic. And it can be brought in. Are we clear now? Do you realize you stated codeine, if classified as a narcotic, could not be brought into the US? Do you realize codeine is classified as a narcotic? Do you realize codeine can be brought into the US? FWIW, the CBP page doesn’t say narcotics can’t be imported (my original post to this effect flew right over your head). It says narcotics like marijuana, heroin, cocaine and LSD cannot be brought in. A difference with a distinction. I believe we’ve established that codeine is a narcotic unlike marijuana, heroin, cocaine or LSD. Earlier in the thread, you plainly stated it was illegal to bring “those products” into the US. This is patently incorrect, as well. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/42 "2011-08-07T18:30:23Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I’ve done my share of going back and forth across the US/Canadian border, and fair warning, US border patrols are _pricks_. I wouldn’t take any chances with them. FWIW I’ve had a far rougher time with CBSA than US CBP (not on bringing anything in, mind, more the “why are you coming in, where are you going/where were you” stuff.) ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/43 "2011-08-07T18:34:44Z")
So what about mail-order, **Opal**? have you checked into that yet? Expensive as hell, though, huh? Q ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/44 "2011-08-07T18:37:09Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > I note you leave out the next sentence in your post, which was quoted above. > > I’ll type this out slower this time. > > Codeine is a narcotic. Apparent not statutorily. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/45 "2011-08-07T20:58:33Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > You’ll probably get Tylenol 3s (30 mg codeine) for your tooth pain if the dentist prescribes you painkillers. Try taking half of one of those plus ibuprofen (or any other NSAID), it might be enough to control the pain and would allow you to stretch them out. Ironically my doctor prescribed cough syrup with codeine when I had a viral pneumonia a few years back, but codeine makes me nauseous so instead I chugged expectorant cough syrup (guaifenesin) for weeks. I can’t take NSAIDS because of my stomach surgery. They usually give me Vicodin at the dentist. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/46 "2011-08-07T21:07:45Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > So what about mail-order, **Opal**? have you checked into that yet? Expensive as hell, though, huh? > > Q I haven’t, but if it’s expensive it’s not worth it. I just happened to have a friend going to Canada and thought “oh hey!” because it would be handy to have a supply. I’m not a recreational narcotics user. I don’t even get a buzz from it. I occasionally (less than once a month, more like once every two) smoke a tiny bit of legal herbal incense and watch a movie, and I drink maybe once a week. That’s it. In my wild early 20s before I had a kid I used to do LSD too, and tried a couple of other things that I ended up not caring for much. I realize starting two drug related threads close together looks bad but it was a coincidence. When I talk about leftovers I mean that I will suffer the tooth pain or surgery pain or whatever at the end of it in order to save the last few pills\*, because I know something will come up where I will need them, but not need them to the extent that a doctor would give them to me. Things like tooth pain that comes and goes that doesn’t need an actual procedure (I have a lot of that–look again at my mouth x-ray) or my knee will blow out for a day or something like that. Also when I was sick in 2009 and realized that narcotics will get rid of my bronchitis, I now like to have some on store for my annual bout of that. It would be so nice to just have a bottle of codeine that would take care of the problems when they came up and not have to go through that. It’s not like I’m going to be going “woohoo! Codiene! time to get high!” \*I have about 5 or so Percocet in my medicine cabinet right now from the tailbone surgery I had this spring. They’re just sitting there waiting for when I need one. I’m not taking them for fun. if I was they wouldn’t still be there. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/47 "2011-08-07T22:24:11Z")
**Opal** , those of us who’ve known you for a while also know you aren’t a recreational drug user, so don’t even give that a second thought anymore, okay? I take 2 Tylenol #3’s for pain. They are prescribed “as needed”, but because I have arthritis both in my neck and a nerve problem in my groin, I need them quite often. They want to do back surgery on me, and I’m researching the procedure now to see if it would be worthwhile. I’d like for someone to refer to me as such, because I’d straighten his ass out in the so-called “New York Minute.” Quasi PS: I haven’t seen an answer for the cough medicine which has a bit of codeine with it that you just have to sign your name for at the pharmacy. Does anyone know if that’s still available that way? Good luck with the dental surgery! ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/48 "2011-08-07T22:54:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Apparent not statutorily. [http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html](http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/49 "2011-08-07T23:32:17Z")
Then you can’t bring it into the US unless you have a prescription. What’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/50 "2011-08-08T02:08:30Z")
Dio, do you set your cruise control at the exact speed limit to make sure you never go a tiny bit over? I’m just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/51 "2011-08-08T02:51:05Z")
I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about. If you have a problem with me, take it to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/52 "2011-08-08T07:56:42Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Then you can’t bring it into the US unless you have a prescription. What’s your point? My point is that you’re wrong. Cite your claims. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/53 "2011-08-08T13:12:03Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > My point is that you’re wrong. Wrong about what? Cite? All I did was quote from the CBP page. Cite that it’s wrong? ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/54 "2011-08-08T15:39:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Wrong about what? Cite? All I did was quote from the CBP page. Cite that it’s wrong? The page doesn’t say what you are saying it does. It’s basic english. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/55 "2011-08-08T15:44:34Z")
And since you appear to continue to insist on being dense, I’ll break it down for you. Page says “narcotics like marijuana, heroin, cocaine and LSD cannot be imported.” You somehow assume that anything classified a narcotic cannot be brought in. Incorrect. This is pointed out to you. You continue to insist it can’t be brought in. You’re asked for a cite. You refer back to the original document that you’re still not comprehending or interpreting correctly. In short, you’re spreading false information in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/56 "2011-08-08T15:52:32Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > The page doesn’t say what you are saying it does. It’s basic english. All I did was quote it. You aren’t making sense. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/57 "2011-08-08T15:58:59Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > And since you appear to continue to insist on being dense, I’ll break it down for you. > > Page says “narcotics like marijuana, heroin, cocaine and LSD cannot be imported.” No it doesn’t. It doesn’t say that marijuana and LSD are narcotics. > [@](#): > > You somehow assume that anything classified a narcotic cannot be brought in. Nope, I pointed out that that CPB said that drugs classified as narcotics can’t be brought across _without a prescription_, although some _non_-narcotic drugs can be brought across without a prescription if they were legally obtained and in small amounts. I said that I didn’t know what side of the fence low level codeine products would fall into. > [@](#): > > Incorrect. Which part of that is incorrect? Please provide citation. > [@](#): > > This is pointed out to you. You continue to insist it can’t be brought in. I insisted on no such thing. You just aren’t tracking what I _have_ said. By the way, how about a cite that you CAN bring codeine across the border without a prescription. You’ve asserted that repeatedly, but haven’t cited it. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/58 "2011-08-11T02:18:15Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > All I did was quote it. You aren’t making sense. No, first you said it was illegal for OP to bring “those products” into the US. This is just the beginning of your leaving diarrhea in GQ. > [@](#): > > Just FYI, it’s illegal to bring those products back into the US, so if you get a friend to score for you, you’d be asking her to break the law and possibly get jacked up at the border. It isn’t illegal to bring the products into the US. Do you comprehend this? Is there anything unclear about the statement “It isn’t illegal to bring the products into the US?” You then went on to say that a prescription was required to bring them in. > [@](#): > > If you can prove you have a valid prescription for them for yourself, you can bring them in. If not, not. One does not require a prescription to bring codeine into the US. Your own cite confirms this. Is there any part of “One does not require a prescription to bring codeine into the US” that’s unclear? Any fucking part of it? You then quoted the CBP website, and said if codeine was a narcotic, it would not be exempted. > [@](#): > > So it looks like, in some cases, you can bring in a small amount without a prescription, but I don’t know whether codeine would qualify as a “narcotic” or not. If it is a “narcotic,” then it can’t be brought in. Codeine is in fact classified as a “narcotic” and yet that has no fucking bearing on the fact that it is perfectly legal to bring codeine into the US from Canada, without a prescription. Are we clear? ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/59 "2011-08-11T02:24:12Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > No it doesn’t. It doesn’t say that marijuana and LSD are narcotics. **(other than narcotics such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or LSD)** Really? It doesn’t say that? Is English not your first language? :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > Nope, I pointed out that that CPB said that drugs classified as narcotics can’t be brought across _without a prescription_, although some _non_-narcotic drugs can be brought across without a prescription if they were legally obtained and in small amounts. I said that I didn’t know what side of the fence low level codeine products would fall into. The CBP did not say this. Re-read it, until you understand, that it does not say this. > [@](#): > > Which part of that is incorrect? Please provide citation. Basically everything you have said in this thread was incorrect. How does one appropriately recite a cite that’s already been cited itt? :dubious: > [@](#): > > I insisted on no such thing. You just aren’t tracking what I _have_ said. You’ve been insisting on it all along and apparently you’re still insisting on it right now 😃 > [@](#): > > By the way, how about a cite that you CAN bring codeine across the border without a prescription. You’ve asserted that repeatedly, but haven’t cited it. [http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/21cfr/21usc/956.htm](http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/21cfr/21usc/956.htm) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325/60 "2011-08-11T02:25:41Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > One does not require a prescription to bring codeine into the US. Cite (and the CBP site doesn’t say anything specifically about codeine)? This is your big mistake here. It has not been shown that codeine can be brought across the border _without a prescription_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-codeine-otc-in-canada/591325.md?page=4)