Illegal Prescription Drug Use in Connecticut

 Posted on October 01, 2014 in Criminal Law

When some people think about drug addicts, they often think of heroin or cocaine addicts. However, prescription drugs are responsible for a large number of overdoses, and have contributed to drug overdoses becoming one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. To help deal with the problem, federal law has been proposed to help monitor the issuance and filling of painkiller drugs that are likely to be abused. This law would also increase availability of potentially life saving drugs used by police officers and other first responders to reverse drug overdoses.

Connecticut Drug Laws

As with most other states, the sale or possession of prescription drugs without a prescription, and obtaining prescription drugs by fraud are both illegal acts in Connecticut. It is, of course, a defense to the possession charges if you have a valid prescription for the type and amount of prescription drugs in your possession. A prescription is defined as a written, oral or electronic order for any controlled substance from a licensed practitioner for a patient, to be presented to a pharmacist.

Selling prescription drugs includes more than simply receiving money for your prescription drugs; it includes exchanging or bartering or gifting the drugs. Possession can also mean more than actual possession of the drugs, and includes constructive possession. You can be found be in constructive possession of a drug if the judge or jury finds that you had control over the prescription drugs or the area they were found. The prosecution also has to prove that you knew that you were in possession of the prescription drugs.

If you do not have a valid prescription, and falsify a prescription in order to use it to get controlled drugs, you can be found guilty of obtaining prescription drugs by fraud. You may also be found guilty of obtaining prescription drugs by fraud if you provide any false information on a prescription. Because prescriptions are required to contain a patient’s name and address for example, you could be found guilty for providing a false name or address to be used on the prescription. You can also be charged with obtaining a prescription by fraud for doctor shopping to get more prescription medicine. Doctor shopping is going to more than one doctor for a prescription of controlled substances, without disclosing that you are also seeing other doctors for prescriptions for similar medication. Connecticut has both specific and general laws prohibiting doctor shopping.

If you have a prescription drug dependency problem, you can get help with quitting. In some cases, drug dependency can be a defense to some drug charges. Consult an experienced Connecticut drug crimes lawyer for more information about this.

Contact a Connecticut Drug Crimes Attorney