Sudafed in Cozumel with prescription?

[Joneill]

You have to be super coordinated to use the neti pot, IMO. Walgreens sells a sinus rinse bottle that you use with the saline powder and lukewarm water. Just lean over and squeeze. No need to have to turn your head to the side, too.

It’s actually very easy to use once you figure it out - just takes a little experimenting with how to hold your head and how to breathe/relax.

 

[El Graduado]

It’s actually very easy to use once you figure it out - just takes a little experimenting with how to hold your head and how to breathe/relax

That's what they say about sword swallowing...

 

[drrich2]

I don't think it's so much a matter of seeing themselves as exempt as trying to get a sense of the pro.s and con.s of the situation.

In the U.S., major highways and interstates have posted speed limit signs. That carries the weight of law. If you drive on those much, it quickly becomes obvious many (often most) people speed a bit. Not hugely, but some. If the posted limit is 55 mph, odds are pretty good people are driving close to 60 mph. If you drive 58-60, you probably won't get nailed. If you do, the speeding ticket probably won't be a big life change.

How likely you are to get caught, how likely authorities are to stick it to you, and just how bad that's apt to be, are questions they want to know.

Pointing out that a law is perceived as silly, idiotic and in direct conflict with a perceived need (e.g.: to avoid reverse block diving) isn't about claiming to be exempt from the law legally, it's about a sense of moral exemption.

Which is a lot like the debates over checking 'no' to all the questions on dive trip clearance forms to avoid the hassle of trying to find a physician (who may know little about diving) to sign a paper claiming you're fit to dive, every year, even when the alleged 'problem' is minor and you may've gotten clearance before.

It's a personal moral decision whether you feel obligated to obey a rule just because it is a rule, or because (and if) it's a rule with what you consider a valid basis. People in the latter camp often want to know their odds of getting caught, how to minimize that, and what's apt to happen if they do.

And then some people simply haven't heard it's illegal. If you polled a plane load of tourists headed to Cozumel, I wonder what % know Sudafed is forbidden?

 

[Damselfish]

I think it's a silly law - not differentiating between small quantities for personal use and large quantities to make meth - perhaps easier to enforce or administrate a blanket ban, but otherwise doesn't seem helpful to anyone. I think comparisons to actually dangerous drugs are also silly, just grasping for any way to prove one position.

But their right to have whatever laws they want. And everyone else's right to take their chances. Or not. For me, simply like #27 on the list of unfortunate things about Mexico that discourage me from going there. I doubt they care.

 

[Pipehorse]

And then some people simply haven't heard it's illegal. If you polled a plane load of tourists headed to Cozumel, I wonder what % know Sudafed is forbidden?

I didn't know Sudafed was illegal in Mexico until reading about it here. A perfect reason not to dive Cozumel IMHO.

 

[tridacna]

Try bring just a “little” THC into Canada or Mexico or even into the US. Sure, it’s legal in all three countries. Bring a prescription to justify why you need it. See how that works out. I have a colleague who is now banned from entering Canada because of that.

You can argue all you like but the bottom line is that if you get caught, you’re bust and you’re going to have to live with the consequences.

I had a traveler on one of my trips conceal 12 THC vape cartridges in his check in bag when he traveled with us to the Philippines. They never caught him. Ultimate stupidity? Yes, he snuck the them in via Singapore.

Customs held me up at Manado airport for 30 mins convinced that my Metformin tabs in a ziploc bag were something suspicious. That was not fun.

People should be made to watch Midnight Express before being allowed to travel abroad.

 

[ggunn]

Yet people are arguing that it's fine for them to flout this law because they need it, because it's legal back home, and because the ban is silly. They go so far as to advise people to ignore the ban and they give practical suggestions about how to get away with it.



I'm not equating relative medical risks, but I am equating legality. Mexico, as a sovereign nation, has decided that it's in the best interest of their nation to ban it. It's just as illegal to bring pseudoephedrine into Mexico as to bring heroin into the US or cannabis into Saudi Arabia. Mexico has tossed tourists in jail for pseudoephedrine in the past and they'll do it in future.

Didn't you say in another thread "Over 3 decades of doing this has convinced me of several things. One is that substance laws make little sense. ...I long ago became convinced that in our culture there is a deep-rooted fear that someone, somewhere, might be having fun and that any means must be used to prevent that."?

Pseudoephedrine is fairly low-risk, but people die from it every day so I'd hardly call it "harmless".

I have never heard that; what are the circumstances?

 

[drrich2]

I didn't know Sudafed was illegal in Mexico until reading about it here.

It's not just an issue with Mexico, and to be fair, it's not always easy to nail down what all legalities one needs to know in a foreign place.

For that matter, here in Kentucky, I've occasionally tried to track down 'the law' on some matter, and it can be a hassle!

On the issue of pseudoephedrine, I think in another thread @Centrals indicated it's an issue in the Philippines (old 2018 thread, and nobody there seemed to know for sure whether having a note from a physician would be accepted if you were caught), and Japan.

Japan's situation is interesting and goes well beyond Sudafed. Here's a Guide to Bringing Medicines into Japan; from that:

"What OTC medications are prohibited?
While numerous medications are easily available in Western countries without a prescription, Japan takes a much harder line on certain ingredients.

The following are prohibited:

• Any medicine containing Pseudoephedrine (a main ingredient in Actifed, Sudafed and even Vicks inhalers) – specifically any medicine containing over 10% of this stimulant.
• Any medicine containing Codeine

Both the limits and what is considered a permitted ingredient is subject to change, so we advise consulting the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s English language website before any planned travel to Japan.

What OTC medication can you bring?​

Travelers are permitted to bring a two-month (60 day) supply of any permissible over-the-counter medication, and an equivalent amount of vitamins. This also applies to contact lenses."

So it's not just what you can bring; they regulate how much. Now check this out:

"Prescription Medication

Can I bring any prescription medicine into Japan with me?​

In general, visitors to Japan are permitted to enter the country with prescription medicine without any special procedures if they adhere to the following conditions:

1. It is only for your personal use
2. It is not a prohibited or controlled drug in Japan
3. The quantity is up to 1 month’s supply.

Which prescription medicines are outright prohibited?​

Opium, cannabis and stimulant drugs (Amphetamines, methamphetamines), including certain medicines for the treatment of ADD/ADHD (such as Adderall, Vyvanse and Dexedrine) are strictly prohibited and illegal to bring into Japan.

Travelers face prosecution if in possession of them, even if those medications come with a foreign prescription or a customs declaration form – there are no exceptions.

Be careful as commonly used inhalers and some allergy and sinus OTC medications such as Actifed, Sudafed and Vicks inhalers contain stimulants – rendering them prohibited items."

Wikipedia has a Sudafed Page with a handy Legal Status section. For Japan, it says: "Medications that contain more than 10% pseudoephedrine are prohibited under the Stimulants Control Law in Japan.[56]"

A range of Indonesian destinations are highly rated and much discussed on ScubaBoard, but they take a hard line with what they deem prohibited drugs, and there's a thread on that. Thankfully I don't think it includes Sudafed, but hope you weren't planned to bring any cannabis-type products or ADHD medication in. You're also meant to have your passport on you at all times, and in Bali smoking in public places is illegal, per content I linked to.

---

My points are:

1.) Cozumel (and Mexico in general) gets flack about the Sudafed thing (note: I don't like it either), but it's not unique to them.

2.) Many people don't know what's prohibited where they're going. It's easy to blame them for that, but you don't know what you don't know, and it's not always easy to get definitive answers if you know what to ask.

3.) This goes beyond Sudafed. Prescription medications with codeine, ADHD medications, anything linked to cannabis, etc...

 

[DandyDon]

I stopped by Walgreens yesterday to restock on my preferred brand - Walgreen's label of Actifed, and they were out. I hope they are not discontinuing it because of supply challenges and marketing restrictions.

Pseudoephedrine is fairly low-risk, but people die from it every day so I'd hardly call it "harmless".

I have never heard of one. Can you cite one?

 

[rmssetc]

Not that it makes it OK to flaunt the laws of a sovereign nation, but you can’t seriously be trying to equate someone illegally bringing in small amount of pseudoephedrine (which is harmless) to someone bringing in oxycontine or heroin??

Why not equate those? The law equates them, and this discussion is (or was, at some point), about the legality.

Regardless of what a physician or chemist thinks about whether something is "harmless" or the quantities needed to produce, say, methamphetamine, the judge is the one with the final say here.