A New Front in the War on Drugs

If the war on drugs were in the news as much as the wars in the Middle East, the reports would continually be depressing. It seems that as soon as headway is made on one front, another problem pops up. As methamphetamine use went down with regulations addressing the precursor chemicals in cold medicines, prescription drug abuse went up. A crack down on the Mexican border? Then pill mills get popular in Florida.

The next front line is likely to be drugs that come in the mail or by Federal Express. Online pharmacy operations that play fast and loose with drug laws are taking over any territory they can get. In some cases, a sudden spike in illegal sales of prescription drugs has been tied directly to Internet connectivity. That means that if your town gets solid Internet service, no matter how remote you may be, it’s likely that the availability of Oxycontin and Vicodin on the street will jump up.

A recent sting in mid-Missouri tells the tale. Six people were arrested for operating websites that dispensed addictive drugs all over the county by FedEx. How easy is it to set up an online pharmacy? Turns out it’s pretty easy. Two of those arrested had already been tapped the month before and their sites closed down. They simply started up all over again under new business identities.

Perhaps it seems like the licensed pharmacist should be the point where pressure can be applied. In a world that wasn’t as connected as the Internet, this would be so. However, with an online pharmacy, there aren’t actually any drugs on the premises or a pharmacist. The scripts are taken in and then all filled (for a fee) at an existing pharmacy. The website just tacks on a charge for the service and shipping. This tells the tale – who would actually pay all the extra charges for something they could get at their corner drugstore? Well, addicts who are forging prescriptions will, and so will dealers. Notably, these online pharmacies do a tremendous volume of addictive drugs and very few “regular” prescriptions.

Part of the crackdown actually comes because of the increased charges. Some “customers” will try to pay with insurance or Medicaid. That generates records and can be used helpful in tipping off the DEA or other authorities. Still, the laws are complicated between states and enforcement in this new front isn’t what it could be. When an online operation can open and close again in the space of a week, it is only the greediest that get caught.