The Internet - A Drug Candy Store!
Author: Mark Thevenot

"The Internet has become a pharmaceutical candy store -
offering a high to any kid with a credit card at the click of a
mouse" - Joseph A. Califano Jr., National Center on Addiction
and Substance Abuse, chair and president.

The number of websites advertising and selling controlled
prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Valium and Xanax has grown
dramatically, over 130%, since 2006. There are basically "no
controls" on the sale of controlled substances via the internet.
Stopping the sale of controlled substances on the internet is no
easy task. Many of these websites and their counterfeit drug
manufacturers are based outside of the United States. Without
the cooperation of certain foreign governments - combined with a
concerted effort by our own government's enforcement agencies,
plus the cooperation of internet providers and credit card
companies, the sale of controlled substances via the internet
will continue to escalate. All efforts so far to shut down this
very lucrative and illegal business has fallen short. Most
websites (over 80%) do not even require the buyer to have a
doctor's prescription to make a purchase. Sadly, a large % of
these illegal online drug purchases are made by our teenagers
looking to get high. Sales of Xanax, Valium, Vicodin, Oxycontin
and Ambien have skyrocketed - these are easier to acquire over
the internet than they are through local street drug dealers.
Parents need to recognize that their children have access to
recreational drugs via the internet whether they live in the
inner city, the suburbs or in a small town far from a street
drug dealer.

The Dangers! - You do not know what you are getting! A website
may look legitimate and sophisticated but it may sell
counterfeit drugs that look exactly like real FDA-approved ones.
Unregulated drugs may be manufactured in laboratories or
processing facilities that have inadequate control standard -
the pills may have inconsistent formulation, be too weak, too
strong or contain substitute or harmful additives - labeling may
be inadequate, incorrect or may not list important drug
interaction warnings. You could die! Some already have.

What to look out for : 1) Do not buy from websites that do not
require proof that you have a doctor's prescription 2) Do not
buy from sites that are not affiliated with a pharmacy that is
licensed by a State Board of Pharmacy. Medications purchased
from sources other than state licensed pharmacies may be at
worst unsafe or at least ineffective. You can visit
www.napb.info for a state board contact list 3) Do not purchase
medicines that are not prescribed to you by your own doctor.
Dosages, drug interactions and other suitability issues must be
considered carefully. A medicine that helps one patient could
kill another 4) If you do order from the internet, before taking
any medication purchased, carefully examine the packaging and
the drugs appearance- color, texture and shape - if it looks
different from what you normally take, discard it. If it tastes
different -spit it out! You may have saved a few bucks but is it
worth the risk. If you are a teenager taking the internet
purchase to get high - you are literally playing Russian
Roulette.

Beware of your selections from the "Internet Drug Candy Store".
The taste may not be so sweet!


About The Author: Mark Thevenot authors family - friendly
health articles. Visitors to his website ,
http://www.superrxcard.com , can print a free drug discount card
accepted at over 60,000 pharmacies.