I like to carry a DEA Scrip pad, and we have no problem. leave the PDR at home.

I used to carry a couple of prescriptions with me, but I stopped once we made everything electronic. I also imagine that CBP would be really annoyed if I got a prescription pad out of my bag.

I'll bet this enforcement is aimed at protecting US drug companies. Remember a few years ago all those firms offering to buy drugs in Canada because they're a lot cheaper? Drug companies hate that, and so do what they can to block "reimportation" of drugs.

This is extremely impractical and if everyone took the time to declare their prescription drugs..the customs lines and bag inspections would be completely out of control. Just consider the number of people out there taking prescriptions for high blood pressure, statins for cholesterol, depression, diabetes, allergies, heart problems, blood thinners, birth control, Viagra, hormones...etc.etc etc... I'll bet at least half of all people going through have some kind of prescription drug in their bag.

And I didn't even mention the DEA controlled drugs like opiates, ADHD meds such as Adderal, and benzodiazapenes like Ambien and Xanax..which are the ones that customs are most like to be concerned with. Most people who take prescription drugs don't even know there is a DEA list with scheduled drugs that are more tightly controlled than non-scheduled drugs...they just know it's a prescription.

They are intentionally vague in their guidance and on the questions they ask on the form because they know if they ask a general question like "are you carrying any prescription medications?"...then it would require an act of Congress to increase funding to handle the additional work.

I believe the release of this news is to educate GE members who might think they're immune from searches to think again.

Given that the folks in question also didn't declare that they had currency over $10,000 (which is on the form/kiosk question list), I suspect that the prescription drugs/steroids weren't the main reason they were stopped...just additional things for them to be nailed for at that point.

IIRC the questions are pretty specific when it comes to food, and that not all food qualifies. For example, certain packaged items (I sometimes have things like granola bard or powdered drink mix) don't meet any of the criteria on the customs form. Am I wrong in my understanding?

I've started thinking this myself; they write the regulations such that they won't feel the need to bust someone who simply doesn't declare their leftover medication, in a bottle from a US pharmacy, prescribed by a US provider but can use it in the case that they need an excuse to escalate something.

Your understanding used to be correct for the kiosk. The question on the kiosk has now been changed to match the question on the form, and they both include the word "food."

Actually this is backwards. Candy and chewing gum are the two food-like things that are explicitly *not* food. However note that by "candy" they mean hard candy like Werthers and the like. They do not mean chocolate bars or other types of, uh, confection.

Do you have a link supporting this assertion that candy and gum are not "food?" Food is defined as anything that goes in your mouth and you consume. Breath mints would count as well.

The only exceptions might be multivitamins, calcium supplements, Zicam, and things like that. They would not count as food, but they WOULD have to be declared as medications since they are FDA-recognized that way--the packages say "Drug Facts" on the back.

Question: toothpaste says "Drug Facts" as well....does it count as medication? food? neither?

EXACTLY.

The old question asked more specifically about fruits, veggies, meat and dairy products, etc.

Just repeating what the officer told me in my interview. "Anything that goes in your mouth except candy and chewing gum". When I probed about chocolate bars he made it clear "candy" didn't include chocolate or anything but "candy".

I would concur that doesn't make much sense. I don't think tobacco or drugs count as "food" either, though I suspect you're absolutely right that breath mints count as food. I brought some tea in last time and wasn't sure if that counted so I declared it. The officer didn't seem to think it counted but it's hard to tell if it didn't count or if he was just checking if it was the only thing I had.

Would you risk your GE membership based on one agent's statement?

I believe that one officer has the authority to revoke GE membership. You can try appealing to the Ombudsman.

I'm trying to understand this as well.

First, nothing on the customs declaration form says anything about medications.

Second, the statement on the CBP.gov site specifically says:

"If you need medicines that contain potentially addictive drugs or narcotics (e.g., some cough medicines, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antidepressants or stimulants), do the following:

- Declare all drugs, medicinals, and similar products to the appropriate CBP official"

So, if you fill out the form truthfully, and don't carry any prescription drugs that are potentially addictive or are narcotics, is it still necessary to declare all prescription medications legally obtained in the US for personal use?

I'm carrying a copy of my prescriptions, and they're in the original containers, but at this point I see no guidance that every prescription must be declared. It's hard to imagine that's really what they want.

Not sure if this is all insurers, or just mine, but my insurer has a web page where I can all of my prescriptions that they've paid for. I just keep a PDF printout of that on my computer, in case it's requested.

Someone a bit more worried, or with more "interesting" prescriptions than my litany of middle-aged BP+Cholesterol+allergy might actually print it to paper.

Redacted a bit:
Before they had that, I just took pictures of the original bottle (I still do, in case

You go on to say:
Just using original bottles works well for someone with a prescription or two -- not so well in a situation like mine where you're carrying 3+ daily prescriptions plus a couple as-needed, let alone really sick people.

I find it much easier to bring them together in a pill organizer and/or one big bottle. Having a picture of the bottle including "white oval labeled M12" (example again redacted) is reassuring just in case, although I've never needed it.

When I used to use restoril to sleep on long flights, I used to bring that in its own bottle and only in the tiny quantity needed for flights, but even there that was less for US customs as for the worry about bringing scheduled drugs into Asian countries -- even ones with a bit more tolerance than the UAE.

Before getting GE, I'd been asked once or twice about "do you have any prescription drugs with you?" and answering "nothing acquired abroad" was always accepted as an answer without either asking what came out of the US with me or to see any of the documentation I had.