In this thread, a poster inquires about whether or not coffee is considered an illegal drug under the laws of any country. I’m extending the question. Are there any chemical substances, other than alcohol/alcoholic beverages (which I understand are illegal to some extent in some Islamic countries) that are:
Legal in the US for uncontrolled purchase by adults and reasonably obtainable in a practical sense.
A drug in the sense of being a chemical substance that has some observable effect on the human body in a way similar to substances recognized as drugs in major regulatory schemes. The substance doesn’t have to be classified as a drug in the US - it could be an “herbal supplement” or “food additive”.
Illegal in another country to possess under applicable Controlled Substance laws or laws that are near akin to such laws, either at all or without a prescription. To explain what I mean by this, I would consider the alcohol prohibition laws that were in place in the US during Prohibition to either be controlled substance laws or near akin to them.
In a nutshell, you could phrase it this way - Is there anything I can buy at my local grocery store, pharmacy (over the counter products only), hardware store, cosmetics shop, or other similar venue that is basically mundane here but if I pack it in my luggage and get caught at customs it could get me serious don’t drop the soap prison time in a foreign land as an international drug smuggler? For example, are there any jurisdictions where tobacco products or nicotine are considered fully illegal in the same sense as heroin and possession two packs of Camels can get you two years in prison?
Items that are fundamentally not drugs but are sometimes illegal to possess in certain jurisdictions such as anti-government protest pamphlets, religious proselytizing materials, or pornography do not count.
Salvia divinorum is legal in a lot of the US, but there are several countries that ban it. This site (possibly NSFW?) says you can get up to two years if you possess it in Denmark.
There are a number of OTC drugs in the USA that are not OTC elsewhere, and a number of herbal and alt-med stuff which is banned for sale in some nations. I think really high % alcohol is illegal to sell some nations, just as at the very high end it can be illegal here (the 190 proof version is illegal in quite a bit of the USA).
But no, I can’t think of anything which would give you a multi-year prison sentence in any free nation which is legal here.
I say “free nation” as Iran, North Korea and so forth have some very weird rules.
Advantage [anti] Flea and Tick meds for pets was banned in NZ when I was there. Tried to innocently bring some into the country and got a serious talking-to by MAF customs enforcers.
Going the other way, when I was in the US a while ago, I tried to buy some Robaxacet for back-pain - it’s a combination of an analgesic (there are aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen varieties), plus a muscle relaxant.
It’s over the counter here in Canada, but the US pharmacist told me she knew about the product, but it was not available in the US - the muscle relaxant needed a prescription.
There is no OTC codeine based medication in the US - codeine requires a prescription. When we did more travelling for work a regular stop for the US visitors was the nearest Shoppers Drug Mart for stocking up of Tylenol 1 and 222’s.
Poppy seeds are illegal in more of the world than just the admittedly whacko Dubai, anywhere they were never used as food.
Phenibut is sold on the internet and some supplements in the USA, one brand is RelaxAll, it is a RX drug in Russia.
Kratom is illegal in only one US state, in its native region it is illegal.
Epinephrine asthma inhalers were pretty much unknown outside the USA, I’ve shown a empty one to pharmacists asking for a local version and they have been like where the hell did you get this, um the USA, oh well obviously
Melatonin is a legal “food supplement” in the US, but in a number of other countries including much of Europe, a prescription is required or it’s just not available. Have no idea what happens if you try to bring it in.
We’ve talked about this before, but did was anyone ever able to verify this statement? IANAL, but as I read the statute Schedule V, which includes some lightweight codeine preparations does not require a prescription. From the horse’s mouth:
(Bolding mine)
IOW, by the Federal statute, you don’t necessarily need a script for codeine. On the other hand, I am also aware that stricter state and local laws are applicable in most areas, not to mention pharmacists and pharmacies themselves refusing, as a matter of policy, to dispense codeine to anyone without a prescription. But do we know for a fact that this is the case everywhere in the country?
For the purposes of the thread I nominate tobacco in Nepal, where it is essentially outlawed.
Not true, Codeine is certain quantities mixed with certain other medication is a schedule V substance in the US. An exempt narcotic. By federal law, it can be sold OTC by a licensed pharmacist.
In my state (Georgia), I’m legally allowed to sell you a 4oz bottle of Robitussin AC cough syrup, which contains 10mg Codeine and 100mg Guaifenesin per 5 mL. (Though, due to federal labeling laws, it must be a 4oz bottle from the manufacturer, not just pouring 4oz from my large stock bottle to a little bottle like I do with scripts)
And here is the rub… Yes, I can, No I wont. For one, I’d have to specially order it for you (that label law thing), two, If I’m known to stock it, I’ll get all sorts of people trying to buy it, three, I don’t know you… And of course four… There just isn’t that much profit in it. The amount of $$$ we make isn’t worth the paperwork.
