Foreign Office warns medication could land Brits in trouble abroad

Common cold medication Vicks could land Brits in jail in Japan
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The Foreign Office has warned Brits against taking certain medications on holiday with them.

Common medications such as Vicks are banned in countries such as Japan, Greece, and Singapore and could land tourists in jail if they are caught with them, the government warned.

The warning comes after many Brits got into trouble with law enforcement in exotic countries over the past year.

In figures seen by the Daily Telegraph, the Foreign Office revealed that it dealt with 22,157 consular cases in 2017 to 18.

The annual figures for 2017 showed that the country where most Brits ran into trouble was Bangkok.

The Bangkok consulate dealt with 66 drug related consular cases involving arrest or detention over the course of the year.

Ibiza and Alicante were not far behind as they dealt with 41 and 31 cases respectively.

A survey carried out by the FCO showed that one in three people look up the rules for taking prescribed medication before travelling abroad.

Depending on which country British people are travelling to the rules differ.

In some places a doctor’s note is required for visitors to take their medication, in others medicine which is available over the counter in England may need a prescription.

In many countries including Greece, commonly prescribed medications such as codeine and Diazepam are “controlled drugs.” If a person is found with these drugs it could lead to an arrest, fine or imprisonment.

Julia Longbottom, FCO Consular Director told The Telegraph: "We can see that British people are more likely to research the weather before their holidays than research the local laws and customs, so while you’re online checking out whether or not to pack sunscreen, we’d strongly encourage you to check whether taking medication into a country is okay or not.”

The FCO also advised people to read the travel advice which is available on its website to avoid getting into trouble.

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