Controlled substance scripts in Germany: Must leftover drugs be discarded by a certain time after being dispensed? (country, people)

[Those Who Squirm]

An acquaintance on another forum posted about a recent experience, in which he was reported to the police for bringing drugs into the country illegally. (He is not German, but has been living there for a year or two. The impartiality of the informant is highly questionable.) As it happens, he does possess and use CNS stimulant drugs legally by prescription, and he did bring a supply from his home country when he entered Germany. Some of the the tablets he arrived with are from a nine-year-old script, but he still has them in the original bottle with the usual prescription label bearing his name and address and all the rest of the usual data points. With regard to the medication in the old bottle, he and his doctor determined that a different but related drug combo worked better for him, although he did hold on to the old medication just in case. This seems standard procedure to me. It's always been my impression that people who take meds for chronic conditions don't like to throw out any extra medication they may have, because you never know, you might need it.

Based on what he's told us, the prosecution has a problem with the fact that the prescription is so old, and are evidently suggesting that he obtained the drugs illegally and much more recently, and is merely using the old bottle to store them in. For whatever reason--and I know nothing of German law--the burden of proof seems to be on my acquaintance to show that he obtained the drugs legally, and this despite the fact that he's got the original prescription bottle.

So my question is this: Does German law require prescribed medications to be discarded after a stated length of time? Do the laws of any country do this?

[elnina]

Huh? This story doesn't make sense. First of all - who reported him to the police? And why???
And no - I am not aware of any laws requiring prescribed medication to be discarded after stated length of time...
This person should contact his doctor and ask to clarify the situation.
There is something wrong with the "story".

BTW: common sense - when traveling internationally with medications to check and find out about any restrictions on these medications in the visiting countries.

[viribusunitis]

Originally Posted by Those Who Squirm

So my question is this: Does German law require prescribed medications to be discarded after a stated length of time? Do the laws of any country do this?

Long story short: No. There must have been another mistake.

[BritinUSA]

if the doctor has given him a new script for the same or similar medication I can not see the issue

[Those Who Squirm]

Originally Posted by elnina

Huh? This story doesn't make sense. First of all - who reported him to the police? And why???
And no - I am not aware of any laws requiring prescribed medication to be discarded after stated length of time...
This person should contact his doctor and ask to clarify the situation.
There is something wrong with the "story".

BTW: common sense - when traveling internationally with medications to check and find out about any restrictions on these medications in the visiting countries.

Pretty much he's done what you suggest here, but I'm surprised the case hasn't been thrown out. To clarify, I should have stated at the outset he's being accused of importation with intent to sell, but by his account it seems preposterous given what one can infer about the quantities involved.

I really can't be too specific here regarding the informant, or much else in the interest of maintaining anonymity. Suffice to say, however that this individual is someone from the defendant's past. If I could say more I'm sure you'd say to yourself, "ah, yes, I see how that could happen."

[Threestep2]

There is more to the story :$))