A 17-YEAR-OLD Victorian teenager appeared in Proserpine Magistrates Court as a prime example of why medicine containing codeine is now no longer available without a doctor's prescription.

The young offender from Ellwood, who has a history of dependency on codeine-based drugs, brought a medicine containing codeine at Airlie Beach Live Life Pharmacy while up on fishing trip with his father in December last year.

This act spurred on a series of events which landed him in front of a judge on Monday pleading guilty to contravening a police direction, obstructing a police officer and wilful damage of police property.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Hannah Beard said the juvenile's father verbally abused and shook a female pharmacist when he found out his son had been sold the product on December 17.

The court heard when police arrived they tried to talk to the 17-year-old who was outside the store, he was uncooperative and ran away from police before being stopped by a member of the public.

"He was placed in the back of a police vehicle where he managed to slip both his handcuffs and began striking the Perspex screen violently with the handcuffs, causing damage to the screen,” Sen-Constable Beard said.

"The defendant was also observed to be hitting himself violently in the head, in order to prevent him from causing damage to himself and further damage to the police vehicle. The defendant was sprayed with capsicum spray.”

At the watch house he continued with his violent behaviour, verbally abusing police and spitting.

Macrossan and Amiet lawyer Steven Hayles tendered a letter of apology from the teenager and said his client did not normally live with his father, which left him without meaningful support which exacerbated his issues.

"(His) father has left the area before police arrived, he was alone outside the pharmacy - he was anxious and fearful to incriminate his father or being blamed for his father's actions, he ran away and was arrested,” Mr Hayles told the court.

"He did spend a day in the watch house as a result of his behaviour - an ambulance was called to check on him because he wasn't in a good state.”

Magistrate Simon Young said the young offender's actions were "extremely poor”. "The issue of drug dependency on codeine-based products was exactly why they were being taken off the shelves for over the counter supply.”

The Ellwood teen received a $1200 fine to pay in 12 months, default to 12 days' imprisonment, and no conviction was recorded.