GBN Health Check: Important advice for taking mandatory medicines abroad after police raid
Imagine going through security at an airport, looking for your gate and boarding your flight but being held up for hours while armed police officers punch your documents.
Five passengers on a British Airways flight to Amsterdam in June faced this horrific situation after the armed Metropolitan Police received intelligence that they had illegal substances on them.
This turned out to be a false alarm: the passengers were traveling with medically prescribed cannabis and had obtained travel documents and cleared security checks before boarding.
However, this resulted in patients being subjected to anxiety-inducing interrogations, having their medication taken away and being dropped at the airport on the other hand, GB News investigations can reveal.
It was not the best way to start the holiday. That being said, these passengers were lucky to escape.
Patients had their prescription drugs thrown away at the airport
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Britons traveling to less democratic countries have found themselves trapped in a Kafkaesque nightmare after their prescription drugs went illegal.
In one of the most extreme cases, Laura Plummer, from Hull, spent 13 months in an Egyptian prison for possessing the opioid painkiller tramadol.
Plummer initially faced a more serious charge of drug trafficking, which carries a sentence of 25 years in prison or even the death penalty, before his conviction was overturned.
As the holiday season approaches, GB News takes a look at the dos and don’ts of traveling overseas with prescription medication.
According to pharmacist Thorrun Govind, the “best advice” is to ensure that your medication is in its original packaging with the pharmacy where you received it and the required dosage clearly written.
This increases the authenticity of the product and shows that it is legitimate, he tells GB News.
It’s always a good idea to have a copy of the prescription with you, the pharmacist says, adding: “I always advise patients to take a picture of what they’re taking with their medication because they can get separated from see. medicine is on the way.”
This should be accompanied by:
- A printed summary of your medical condition, and the treatments you have received, including a list of your medications.
- Your Doctor’s phone number
You should also ask your doctor or pharmacist if your medicine contains a controlled substance. If it does, check the laws of your destination country and embassy before you leave, according to the UK Government website.
It’s important to do this in advance as it can take time to find the time, Thorrun adds.
Make sure your medication is in the original packaging that is clearly labeled with the pharmacy where you received it.
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As the pharmacist points out, getting au fait with national laws can cause surprises. For example, some countries may require stricter measures if you are out of the country for more than three months. Some drugs may be banned altogether.
According to the NHS, the following countries have a strict list of medicines you are not allowed to bring:
- India
- turkey
- Pakistan
- United Arab Emirates
What are dangerous drugs?
For Thorrun, opioids such as tramadol and codeine can take you into dangerous territory, especially in the UAE, where it is listed as a narcotic substance.
Medicinal cannabis is also fraught with dangers.
Although legal in the UK, traveling overseas is not always a “straightforward process”, warned Nabila Chaudhri, medical director at Alternaleaf.
As he explains, cannabis has a high “minus” of legalization in many countries. For example, Spain often requires additional documents. France and Portugal have the lowest levels.
Nabila emphasizes the importance of contacting the embassy before traveling and obtaining a travel permit from your clinic, although this does not guarantee a safe passage.
“Even if the embassy has given you access, if the foreign police are not educated about the legality of medical cannabis for visitors to their country, this can lead to difficult and stressful situations for patients.”
Some important tips
As long as you stick to the necessary limits, Thorrun advises packing more medicine than you need if you face travel delays.
He also recommends using your travel insurance with a fine tooth comb to ensure you have full coverage.
Finally, consider how your medication will be stored when it travels.
Thorrun explained: “If you are traveling with things like oxygen, insulin or injectable medicine, it is best to contact the airline in advance. Some products require special arrangements, such as keeping them at room temperature. you said.”
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