Connecticut § 21a-257 (Formerly Sec. 19-464). Person receiving narcotic drug to keep it in original container. Exceptions. Class D misdemeanor.

Connecticut Statutes

§ 21a-257 — (Formerly Sec. 19-464). Person receiving narcotic drug to keep it in original container. Exceptions. Class D misdemeanor.

Connecticut § 21a-257

Title 21aConsumer Protection

Ch. 420bDependency-Producing Drugs

This text of Connecticut § 21a-257 ((Formerly Sec. 19-464). Person receiving narcotic drug to keep it in original container. Exceptions. Class D misdemeanor.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-257 (2026).

Text

(a)A person to whom or for whose use any narcotic drug has been prescribed, sold or dispensed by a physician, dentist, pharmacist or other person authorized under the provisions of section 21a 248, and the owner of any animal for which any such drug has been prescribed, sold or dispensed may lawfully possess it only in the container in which it was delivered to the recipient by the person selling or dispensing the same except as may be authorized by regulations adopted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54.

(b)Any person who fails to keep such narcotic drug in the original container as provided in subsection (a) of this section, except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, shall be guilty of a class D misdemeanor.

(c)The provisions of subsection (b) of this section sh

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(a) A person to whom or for whose use any narcotic drug has been prescribed, sold or dispensed by a physician, dentist, pharmacist or other person authorized under the provisions of section 21a 248, and the owner of any animal for which any such drug has been prescribed, sold or dispensed may lawfully possess it only in the container in which it was delivered to the recipient by the person selling or dispensing the same except as may be authorized by regulations adopted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54. (b) Any person who fails to keep such narcotic drug in the original container as provided in subsection (a) of this section, except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, shall be guilty of a class D misdemeanor. (c) The provisions of subsection (b) of this section shall not apply to any person who in good faith places such narcotic drug in either a (1) pill box, case or organizer stored within such person's residence, or (2) secured or locked pill box, case or organizer, provided such pill box, case or organizer is accompanied by proof of such person's prescription.

Legislative History

(1967, P.A. 555, S. 20; 1969, P.A. 753, S. 15; P.A. 99-102, S. 37; P.A. 21-102, S. 19.) History: 1969 act referred to “narcotic” rather than “controlled” drugs; Sec. 19-464 transferred to Sec. 21a-257 in 1983; P.A. 99-102 deleted obsolete reference to osteopathy and made a technical change; P.A. 21-102 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and required that if regulations are adopted they be adopted in accordance with provisions of Chap. 54, added Subsec. (b) re penalty and added Subsec. (c) re exceptions. Annotations to former section 19-464: Defendant held to have burden of proving he had drug in container in which it was delivered to him by person dispensing it. 148 C. 57. Cited. 7 CA 403. Cited. 6 Conn. Cir. Ct. 584. Annotation to present section: Section is not unconstitutionally vague as applied due to lack of notice and arbitrary enforcement despite the lack of intent or knowledge requirement in language of section, or the doctrine of desuetude, because the record is devoid of evidence that section has been openly, notoriously and pervasively violated without prosecution for a long period of time or that there has been a conspicuous policy of nonenforcement. 129 CA 239.