An example of prescription pharmaceutical script forgery in Meijler v R [2021] NZCA 472 where the Court of Appeal notes
[2] In July 2018, Ms Meijler’s doctor provided her with two prescriptions. These included a script for Zopiclone, which is a sleeping pill she was prescribed to control her anxiety and insomnia.[5] She photocopied the scripts and between 13 July and 1 August 2018 presented them to four different pharmacies in order to obtain more sleeping pills than her doctor had prescribed. On each occasion the medication was dispensed. However, a further attempt to use the forged prescription resulted in an alert being triggered and Ms Meijler’s subsequent arrest.
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[6] The appeal is brought on the basis that the gravity of the offending should have been assessed as less serious than it was because of Ms Meijler’s longstanding addiction to the prescribed medication, the lack of sophistication of the forgery which simply involved photocopying the script, and the absence of any pecuniary motivation for or advantage from the offending. It was further alleged that the first appeal Court had not accurately assessed her efforts at rehabilitation and had been distracted by her failure to complete the programme that had originally been identified as a condition for being discharged without conviction.
