Mailing prescription drugs to your home country

[chitown]

Is it illegal to mail prescription drugs to your home country?

I have a relative that does not make a whole lot of money that has to buy a slew of scripts every month. They6 want me to send some diabetes meds, heart meds and a few other pills to them. I really do not want to, but care for her a lot. We grew up together and she is more like a sister to me than a cousin.

I looked around on the internet and it seems that neither the DEA nor customs even bothers with meds being sent to an individual. They only go after a person if it is illegal drugs or mass quantities sent for resale.

It even seems that people all over America are using overseas online pharmacies and it is allowed.

What say ye??

[AntRobertson]

I'd be very surprised if there weren't some sort of restriction on it. Might be worth calling FedEx, DHL or someone like that - generally they're up to speed on what can/can't be shipped (or the processes you might need to follow).

[blackgang]

As long as she has a prescription for the meds it is OK and it is a prescription drug and not an illegal drug.
As you say, folks are buying online and going on bus trips to Mexico from all over the states and hauling it back by the ton.
I mailed some from Mexico to my EX mother in law because I could buy 500 pill bottles cheaper than she could buy a months supply of 30.

[Ghandi]

Get a t shirt and small bubble pack mailer and do a test run

most mail get unchecked

[English Noodles]

As long as she has a prescription for the meds it is OK and it is a prescription drug and not an illegal drug.

Wrong, just because it is a prescription drug does not mean that it is legal for just anyone to supply it. The law depends on the classification of the drug, many drugs in the US are legally supplied by various classes of persons (e.g. doctors) acting in their professional capacity but it could be a serious offense for someone else to supply the same drug.

The other things that you have to watch out for is that much of the drugs that you can freely buy over the counter here in Thailand are actually being sold 'under the counter', and are in fact illegal drugs here, or they are actually counterfeit drugs, but people not understanding Thailand think that because a pharmacist sells them it in a legitimate shop then it must be okay.