Indiana Law on Transporting Rx Drugs

Illegal drugs are not the only ones that plague drug enforcement agents in Indiana. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's 2009 report on drug use in Indiana, the state has a strong illegal prescription drug trafficking problem, and like many other states in the U.S., the problem necessitated laws differentiating between legal and illegal Rx drugs transport.

Significance

• Indiana Code 25-26-14-12 states that anyone working outside the pharmaceutical industry who transports prescription drugs without a valid prescription is doing so illegally. Furthermore, Section 35 of the Indiana Code labels certain drugs, such as hydrocodone and those containing codeine, as controlled substances. Possessing them without a valid prescription is a drug felony, the same type of felony as having cocaine in your car.

Penalty

• Indiana state law does not acknowledge a difference between the sale and manufacturing of the drugs and transporting them, according to Indiana Code Section 35. In that part of the Indiana Code, transporting is considered part of the sale. Transporting illegal prescription medicines is a Class D Felony. The same penalty is given for transporting faux drugs, the raw chemicals to make the drugs and waste byproducts of the prescriptions.

Exclusion

• The Indiana Code states that wholesale dealers licensed to distribute the drugs are excluded from the Indiana law. A pharmacy delivery person is also exempt, unless he is transporting prescription medicines that are controlled substances.