[LCA2015-Chat] Important: NZ Biosecurity + prohibited items

[Andrew Buckeridge]

On Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:14:23 +1300
Athol Wilson <alw at abcom.co.nz> wrote:

> As far as medications are concerned, provided they are declared and can 
> be legally prescribed in NZ, are in the original correctly labelled 
> container showing your passport name, and are in quantities reasonable 
> for the duration of your stay there should be no problem.  No customs or 
> biosecurity officer wants to feel responsible for the health of visitors 
> deprived of their legitimate medications.
> If they contained components illegal in NZ, I would personally expect 
> them to be held and returned to you on departure and also to assist with 
> arrangements about sourcing a supply of a NZ legal replacement.

NZ legal replacement!?

> MEDICINES
> 
> If you are carrying prescription medicines or
> controlled drugs you should:
> 
> >> have a prescription or letter from your doctor
> 
> >> carry the drugs in their original container
> 
> >> only carry up to three months' supply of
>    prescription medicines or one month's supply of
>    controlled drugs.
> 
> The importation of methadone is prohibited unless
> authorised by a licence or permit issued by the
> Director-General of Health.
> 
>   FURTHER INFORMATION
> 
>   Further information is available from Medsafe on
>   +64 9 257 5704 or at www.medsafe.govt.nz
> 
>   For further information on importing controlled
>   drugs, contact the Ministry of Health on
>   +64 4 819 6855 or at www.moh.govt.nz
http://www.customs.govt.nz/news/resources/listsandguides/Documents/Advice%20to%20Travellers.pdf

Interfering in medical treatment would be an injury. Common law may
trump codified law in this case and some one could be held responsible
for the injury. Has happened in other c'th countries with common law.
The option to have it in detention and then fly out would be safer.

If it's prescribed by a medical practitioner then it is medically
necessary treatment. Interfering in this treatment without consent or
by a non-practitioner would be a pretty obvious injury to most.

Just because the dug is illegal in NZ does not mean that it is not
necessary. Some heart meds available in the US are not available in AU.
A visitor from the US had their checked luggage with their meds lost
and could not tolerate alternative available in AU. Was quite concerned
about having to send them back in something more substantial than a
pine wood box. The special access scheme is too slow and they would
have died. Medivac for now unstable heart was expensive. Luckily the
airline eventually found the luggage and they were stabilised and
stayed as planned.

The incentive for the airline to find the luggage is that they were
responsible for the safety of their passenger and this was made clear.

This is a travel safety issue. Along with the usual drinking H2O and
standing up for weight bearing exercise regularly if you can.

Have at least enough meds for stay plus a week (in case you miss flight
out) and valid prescription in your normal country of residence. In AU
the label affixed to the box is proof that it was dispensed with a
prescription so bring foils in the box not just the foils. If a
pharmacist's label is not on the box then a certified copy of the
original prescription may suffice. (The pharmacist needs the original
and may also need to keep it.)

I will do both and I luckily do not have methadone.

Take 1/2 the meds in your hand luggage in case checked luggage goes
missing. It's easier to declare legal prescription medicines if you
have some of each in hand luggage.

With significant injury some pain and bladder meds are AU S5 and are
not available in NZ for those conditions.

Most c'th countries, even Singapore you are safe if pharmacist's label
is on box and only enough for own use.

> 
> Athol
> 
>