“You’ve Got Drugs!” V: Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), July 2008

In 2004 CASA published the first report on drugs and the internet, “You’ve Got Drugs!” :Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet, documenting the widespread advertising and sale of controlled prescription drugs on line without a prescription.  These reports clearly show that the internet is and continues to be a viable source for sale and purchase of controlled prescription drugs. The internet provides easy accessibility to drugs like OxyContin, Viocdin, Valium, Xanax, and Ritalin to our youth.

This year the number of such sites has declined.  In the 2007 report CASA found 581 sites; this year only 365 sites were found. This decline may be attributed to efforts by federal and state agencies and financial institutions cracking down on Internet drug trafficking.  Of the 365 sites, only two were certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™, the same number found certified in 2007.   The survey also found that:

• 42 percent of the sites stated that no prescription was required
• 45 percent offered an online consultation.
• 13 percent made no mention of a prescription.
• Of the sites that required a prescription, half allowed prescriptions to be faxed.
• Benzodiazepines (Xanax and Valium) were the most frequently offered drugs, followed by opiods (OxyContin and Vicodin), then stimulants (Ritalin and Adderdal).
• There were no controls stopping the sale of these drugs to children.

The full report can be found at http://casacolumbia.org.