Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy (NVCJA) Practice Exam

If you use a friend's blank prescription pad to create your own prescription, what crime can you be charged with?

1. Fraud

2. Obtaining drugs by fraud, deceit, or forgery

3. Counterfeiting

4. Drug possession

The correct answer is: Obtaining drugs by fraud, deceit, or forgery

The action of using a friend's blank prescription pad to create a prescription constitutes obtaining drugs by fraud, deceit, or forgery. This charge is considered serious because it involves not only the illegal act of obtaining a substance but also the use of a forged or counterfeit document to mislead a pharmacy into believing the prescription is legitimate. This behavior is a violation of laws intended to maintain the integrity of medical prescriptions and to protect public health. Fraud, while related, typically refers to deceptive practices without necessarily involving the specific context of prescriptions and drug acquisition. Counterfeiting usually involves creating an imitation of something with the intent to deceive, but in this context, the charge is more specifically about the acquisition of drugs through deceptive means. Drug possession alone does not encompass the deceptive act of creating a prescription. Therefore, the most accurate and encompassing charge for this scenario is obtaining drugs by fraud, deceit, or forgery.