July 28, 2006
									The U.S. Consulate General Tijuana is aware of large numbers of 
									American citizens traveling to the U.S./Mexican border region to buy inexpensive
									pharmaceuticals from Mexican pharmacies.  While this may often be an
									inexpensive and convenient option for many Americans on a fixed income 
									orlimited budget, the purchase of a controlled item in Mexico without a
									Mexican prescription is considered a serious crime in Mexico.
									Mexico’s laws governing medicines are similar to those in the United 
									States.Any drug classified as a controlled medicine cannot be purchased in 
									Mexicowithout a Mexican prescription.  This prescription must be written by a
									Mexican federally registered physician.  Purchasing a controlled 
									medicine without a valid prescription in Mexico is a serious crime for both the
									purchaser and the seller.  Purchasing a controlled medicine with a U.S.
									prescription is not sufficient and is illegal, regardless of what the
									Mexican pharmacy may be willing to sell to the purchaser.  By law, 
									Mexican pharmacies cannot honor foreign prescriptions.
									In Mexico, medications such as Valium, Vicodin, Placidyl, Ambien, 
									codeine,pseudoefedrine, Demerol, morphine, and Ativan are not legally sold
									over-the-counter without a valid prescription from a Mexican physician. 
									Ifthe purchaser succeeds in purchasing controlled medicines without a
									prescription, Mexican police can arrest the purchaser and vendor and 
									charge them with possession/sale of a controlled substance.  The sentence for
									possession of a controlled substance runs from ten months to fifteen 
									years in a Mexican prison.  Making such an illegal purchase also puts the 
									buyer at risk for various extortion scams perpetuated by police officials (who
									sometimes work in league with the very pharmacy that sold the 
									medication).
									There are a number of medications considered controlled substances in 
									Mexico which are not controlled in the United States.  To find out if a 
									medication is considered controlled in Mexico, purchasers should ask their Mexican
									physician or pharmacist.   Purchasers may also refer to the following
									Mexican government website (in Spanish, listing generic and brand 
									names) for information on controlled substances in Mexico:
									http://www.cofepris.gob.mx.
									To bring the medications into the United States, travelers will need to 
									show a valid U.S. prescription to the inspector at the Port of Entry.  The 
									U.S. prescription is in addition to the Mexican prescription used to 
									purchase the medications in Mexico.  For more information on bringing medications 
									into the United States, purchasers may refer to the U.S. Customs and Border
									Protection website:  www.cbp.gov.
									Over the last few years, there have been several highly publicized 
									arrests of Americans purchasing controlled medications without a Mexican
									prescription.  We hope to reduce the numbers of Americans arrested in 
									Mexico for possession of controlled items by disseminating this information.