Prescription vs. Controlled Drugs – What You Can Buy in Canada
There are medications for which you must have a prescription from your doctor. Some of those medications also fall under the heading of controlled substances. There are varying degrees of controlled substances, but in general, the term “controlled” medication in pharmaceutical terminology refers to prescription medications deemed a Schedule II drug. These are drugs that require a prescription but also have serious potential for abuse due to the high probability of physical/psychological addiction. For example, you would need a prescription for Prozac but it is not necessarily highly addictive. On the other hand, morphine requires a prescription and is highly addictive, therefore it is a Schedule II drug and considered a “controlled” medication.
Every country has their own laws governing controlled substances. What may qualify as a controlled medication in the United States may not be considered a controlled substance in Canada or Switzerland. The variations and differences between federal and local laws and regulations provide very limited standards that can be applied internationally. It is difficult to mandate how medications should be treated across borders when countries have different standards, regulatory agency controls, and definitions of what is a controlled substance. As a result, many countries prohibit the sale of controlled substances to customers outside of that country.
As such, most Canadian pharmacies online do not offer controlled substances for international customers. Since the potential for abuse of Schedule II medications is so high, and regulations on those medications vary greatly from one country to the next, refraining from filling controlled prescriptions is a wise choice. A Canada pharmacy would most certainly need in-house legal counsel to navigate the complex differences between regulatory laws in different countries to ensure compliance. Since some countries do not allow the importation of controlled substances from other countries, purchasing a prescription for such medications from a Canadian pharmacy would be illegal.
While you may not be able to order controlled medications such as Morphine or other powerful pain management drugs from a discount pharmacy in Canada, other non-controlled medications are available. These prescriptions can be purchased from a licensed Canadian pharmacy online with ease. These discount drugs from Canada offer huge savings over domestic pharmacies and present no major legal or international trade issues. In addition to ordering non-controlled prescription medication from a licensed Canada pharmacy online, U.S. consumers can also purchase over the counter and non-prescription medical supplies at deeply discounted prices. Controlled substances and medications will require local purchase, though.