Codiene in Canada - Pain Management Message Board

bcruth5 · 11-05-2004, 04:12 PM

I am traveling to Calgary next month on business. While I am there, I am thinking about buying some OTC codiene tablets and bringing them back to the U.S. Is that legal? Also, do all provinces allow codiene to be sold OTC?
Thanks all.

twisten · 11-05-2004, 07:03 PM

You have to show I.D up here to buy them, there is still a record of every bottle sold. The codeine tablets you can get over the counter have only 8mg of codeine with tylenol and some caffeine also but not sure how much. You're limited to 1 bottle a month and only fifty pills per bottle. As per getting them across the line, that I can't answer. I'm located in Alberta, Canada.

bcruth5 · 11-05-2004, 09:32 PM

Thanks for the reply. Does the pharmacist keep the medication behind his counter? Can a U.S. resident make a purchase of codeine with ID? I want the medicine for stomach pain.

trowftd3 · 11-06-2004, 12:25 AM

Stomach pain? Ouch! The codeine kills my stomach.

Anyway, I think you can bring one bottle(50 pills) into the US. You must declare them and I'm pretty sure you can buy them in all provinces.
I used to live on the border and we would regularly drive across and bring back bottles. We never had to show i.d. and could bring back 2 bottles. I think 200-300 pills. But, times have changed. My relatives were actually detained at the border recently for trying to bring back too much. It's a shame because there's really so little codeine in them.-Mush

twisten · 11-06-2004, 02:03 PM

You HAVE to show I.D here. There is no way around that. And you can not get them from off the shelf. The pharmacists keep them at the back with them so you have to ask for them. I just picked up a bottle for my son (he had toe surgery) and had to show my driver's license and my health care card. It must have been awhile ago that Mush got them because its been this way here for a few years now. I've never tried to take anything across the border so I don't know how that works. If you can only buy 1 bottle at a time though I suspect that is all you'll be allowed to take across. I don't know if all provinces allow it but I've lived in Saskatchewan and Alberta and it is allowed in both but as I said the codeine that can be bought over the counter is in very small amounts. I would imagine a U.S resident could buy it but again getting it over the border could be another story.