Car rental in Mexico - Drug Penalties and Prescription Medications

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Drug Penalties and Prescription Medications

DRUG PENALTIES AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS: Penalties for drug offenses are strict, and convicted offenders can expect large fines and jail sentences up to 25 years. As in the United States , the purchase of controlled medication requires a doctor's prescription. The Mexican list of controlled medication differs from that of the United States , and Mexican public health laws concerning controlled medication are unclear and often enforced selectively.

The U.S. Embassy recommends that U.S. citizens not travel to Mexico for the sole purpose of buying prescription drugs. U.S. citizens have been arrested and their medicines confiscated by the Mexican authorities, even though their prescriptions were written by a physician and filled by a licensed Mexican pharmacist. There have been cases of Americans buying prescription drugs in border cities only to be arrested soon after or have money extorted by criminals impersonating police officers. In addition, U.S. law enforcement officials believe that the amount of counterfeit and substandard medications in Mexico could be as high as 25 percent and such medications may have collateral effects and reactions that could endanger your health. The importation of prescription drugs into the United States can be illegal in certain circumstances. U.S. law generally permits persons to enter the United States with only an immediate (about one-month's) supply of a prescription medication. Further information on bringing prescription drugs into the United States is available from the U.S. Customs Service at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov.

The U.S. Embassy cautions that possession of any amount of prescription medicine brought from the United States , including medications to treat HIV and psychotropic drugs such as Valium, can result in arrest if Mexican authorities suspect abuse or if the quantity of the prescription medicine exceeds the amount required for several days' use. Individuals should consider carrying a copy of the prescription and a doctor's letter explaining that the quantity of medication is appropriate for their personal medical use. U.S. citizens who plan to go to Mexico to purchase medication or who may be in possession of medication prescribed in the United States should check with the nearest Mexican consulate before traveling to Mexico .