Single Viagra Tablet Sees Domestic Worker Bound Over

By ASIA TIMES STAFF 

A 57-year-old Filipino domestic worker arrested for having Viagra without a doctor’s prescription was bound over for one year at the Eastern Magistrates’ Court.

The Filipino, who has lived and worked in Hong Kong for 28 years, was charged with one count of violation of Hong Kong’s Pharmacy and Poison Ordinance after he was arrested by a police officer in June on Queen’s Road Central on Hong Kong Island, hongkongnews.com.hkreported on Tuesday.

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The police officer found that the suspect was in possession of “one foil pack containing one tablet of sildenafil”, the generic name for Viagra, without a doctor’s prescription.

The suspect admitted that he bought the tablet “a long time ago” from a pharmacy, but could not recall the shop’s name.

Taking into account the clear record of the accused, Magistrate Peter Law ordered that he be bound over on a good behaviour bond of HK$1,000 (US$127) for one year.

This means that the accused, so long as he commits no offence during the one year period, will not have a criminal record.

Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, sildenafil is listed as a “Part 1 poison” that should be taken under doctor’s advice or supplied at “pharmacies under the supervision of a registered pharmacist (and) upon a doctor’s prescription.”

Illegal sale or possession of the drug are criminal offences which carry a maximum penalty of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years.

The report did not mention when the court ruling took place.

(Source: atimes.com)