New
Service for TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
readers...roll mouse over, click on
highlighted links in stories to review items
from Amazon
Now, keep up to date
with daily feeds of newly posted stories
about America's Seniors...click on the box
to the left
New report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University outlines
critical distinctions between bogus
pharmacies and prescription medicines from
legitimate licensed, registered pharmacies
from outside the U.S
NEW YORK, NY, Jul 09, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via
COMTEX) -- Despite a decline in the number
of Web sites advertising or selling
controlled prescription drugs, like
OxyContin and Valium, Xanax and Vicodin, and
Ritalin and Adderall, in the past year, 85
percent of Web sites selling such drugs do
not require a prescription, according to
"'You've Got Drugs!' V: Prescription Drug
Pushers on the Internet," the fifth annual
White Paper on this subject released by The
National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.
The new White Paper reports that CASA
researchers found a total of 365 Web sites
advertising or selling controlled
prescription drugs during 210 hours of
research in the first quarter of 2008,
compared to 581 sites during the same period
in 2007. Only two of the 365 sites were
certified by the National Association of
Boards of Pharmacy as Verified Internet
Pharmacy Practice Sites(TM), the same number
found certified in 2007.
The CASA report identified an emerging
practice of Internet sites selling
prescriptions for controlled drugs that can
be filled at local pharmacies. The report
also found sites selling online "medical
consultations" which enable Internet users
to get controlled drugs online without a
proper prescription.
"This decline in the number of Web sites
advertising or selling controlled
prescription drugs may reflect efforts of
federal and state agencies and financial
institutions to crack down on Internet drug
trafficking. Nevertheless, in spite of those
efforts, anyone of any age can obtain
dangerous and addictive prescription drugs
with the click of a mouse," said Joseph A.
Califano, Jr., CASA's Chairman and President
and former U.S. Secretary of Health,
Education, and Welfare.
"This problem is not
going away. It is morphing into different
outlets for controlled prescription drug
trafficking like Internet script mills and
membership sites that sell lists of online
pharmacies, and different payment methods
like eChecks, COD and money orders."
Of those sites not requiring prescriptions,
42 percent explicitly stated that no
prescription was needed, 45 percent offered
an "online consultation," and 13 percent
made no mention of a prescription.
Other notable findings:
- Of the few sites that require prescriptions, half permit the
prescription to be faxed, allowing significant opportunity for fraud.
- Benzodiazepines (like Xanax and Valium) continue to be the most
frequently offered drugs for sale with 90 percent of sites selling them;
followed by opioids (like Vicodin and OxyContin) at 57 percent of sites,
and stimulants (like Ritalin and Adderall) at 27 percent of sites.
- There are no controls blocking access to these sites by children and teens According to DEA estimates, in 2007 eleven percent of prescriptions
filled by traditional pharmacies were for controlled substances compared to
80 percent of prescriptions filled by Internet pharmacies.
Last year, the Senate Judiciary Committee,
chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT),
held hearings on "The Ryan Haight Online
Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008" to
control Internet trafficking of controlled
prescription drugs which was introduced by
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Jeff
Sessions (R-AL). The Senate passed the bill
in April of 2008. The Subcommittee on Crime,
Terrorism and Homeland Security of the House
Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the
topic last month.
"We congratulate the Senate, and urge the
House to take prompt action and the
President to sign the bill into law," said Califano. "Further delays cannot be
justified since these rogue Internet sites
put a drug dealer in any home or college
dorm room with a computer or laptop."
Califano also applauded federal and state
actions to reduce trafficking and
MasterCard, Visa, American Express and
PayPal for their efforts to shut down
illegal access to these drugs using their
payment mechanisms.
The CASA report includes recommendations
that:
- Internet search engines block all advertisements for controlled
prescription drugs that do not come from licensed and certified online pharmacies.
- The U.S. negotiate treaties with foreign governments to help shut down Internet trafficking of controlled prescription drugs.
CASA is the only national organization that
brings together under one roof all the
professional disciplines needed to study and
combat all types of substance abuse as they
affect all aspects of society.
CASA has
issued 68 reports and white papers,
published one book, conducted demonstration
projects focused on children, families and
schools at 219 sites in 85 cities and
counties in 33 states plus Washington, DC
and two Native American tribal reservations,
and has been evaluating the effectiveness of
drug and alcohol treatment in a variety of
programs and drug courts.
CASA is the
creator of the nationwide initiative "Family
Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children(TM)" -- the fourth Monday in
September -- the 22nd in 2008 -- that
promotes parental engagement as a simple and
effective way to reduce children's risk of
smoking, drinking and using illegal drugs.
In May of 2007, CASA Chairman Joseph A. Califano, Jr. called for a fundamental shift
in the nation's attitude about substance
abuse and addiction with the publication of
his book, "HIGH SOCIETY: How Substance Abuse
Ravages America and What to Do About It."
For more information visit www.casacolumbia.org.
*The National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse at Columbia University is
neither affiliated with, nor sponsored by,
the National Court Appointed Special
Advocate Association (also known as "CASA")
or any of its member organizations, or any
other organizations with the name of "CASA."
...
...
...