by James Di Fiore

Created on: April 08, 2008

As a journalist who worked for an online pharmacy while in college, I can say unequivocally that these businesses are not in the public interest. While there is a clear need for patients to have convenient access to their medications, online pharmacies create the potential for abuse - both on the part of the patient and the pharmacy itself.

Without a doctor's prescription the system is ripe for abuse. Online pharmacies operate with one thing in mind - profit. Prescriptions are given with very little background information and customer service reps are encouraged to sell in volume. Drugs like Oxycontin, for example, are as addictive as hard street drugs, creating addicts out of patients who originally needed the medication to relieve pain. To sell this kind of drug without a prescription is irresponsible and could cost the tax payer if it creates an addict who must then rely on the system to get clean. Several cities across North America are already reporting the sharp rise in addicts who are turning to Oxycontin to get their fix. Their reasons are simple; the drug is cheap and easy to acquire.

Another area where online pharmacies lack proper protocol is the potential for young adults and teenagers to purchase medication. One can purchase medications anonymously, giving them access to potentially hazardous drugs or a fatal variety when mixed with street drugs. A little known fact is the current trend of mixing street Ecstasy with Viagra among teenagers, Viagra being the #1 selling medication purchased online. The mix of the two drugs can cause heart attacks, strokes and a sudden drop in blood pressure. Online pharacies increase the risk of this kind of deadly mixture significantly if the market is not regulated to meet the standards set in place by 'real world' pharmacies.

Even with safeguards in place, such as the requirement to fax in a prescription from a doctor, these online pharmacies are not required to verify the authenticity of the prescription. The onus is up to the patient, and while we would like to live in a world based on the honor system, purchasing addictive drugs and medications online has too many possibilities for abuse.

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