You might be planning a trip from one part of Georgia to another, or perhaps you know a relative from a different part of the country who is planning to make a drive through the Peach State. If so, it is a good idea to think about what might happen on your trip or the trip of your loved one if any of you take prescription medication. Normally, there should not be a problem bringing your medicine along, but it is important to be aware of how to travel safely with your medicine so that you do not run into any legal complications.
Tripsavvy recommends that you not transfer your medication out of its original bottle to put it into a new one for your trip. Imagine if a law enforcement official asks you about your pills while they are contained in a plain, plastic bottle with no markings. The officer may question whether you are the rightful owner of the medicine. If you are holding your pills in their original prescription container, your identifying information is readily available on the bottle label as well as the contact information for your physician.
However, you might worry that your existing pill bottle, even with its posted information on the outer label, will not be enough to counter doubts about whether the drugs are yours. To bolster your ownership claim, you can bring along a written prescription as provided by your physician or your healthcare provider. You can even go one step further and ask your doctor to sign a copy of your medical record.
To minimize potential problems, it is a good idea to keep your medication stored out of sight. There are thieves on the prowl for prescription medicine and if they see some in your vehicle, they might attempt to break into your vehicle to get it. Additionally, keeping your prescription medication out of sight can help counter the possibility of a police officer searching your vehicle under the plain view doctrine. As FindLaw explains, if an officer sees criminal evidence in plain view, such as through an automobile window, the officer can claim probable cause to search the vehicle.