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>Drugs agency calls for crackdown in e-pharmacies >By Tim Richardson >Posted: 03/03/2004 at 09:55 GMT >The Register Mobile: Find out what the fuss is about. >Take the two week trial today. > > >Governments must do more to crack down on the illegal >trafficking of pharmaceutical drugs online. > >Inconsistent laws and the failure to enforce >legislation already in place has led to an explosion >in the trade of pharmaceutical drugs online. Some can >be bought via Web sites while other are touted openly >in spam emails, making it easy for people to get their >hands on powerful drugs. > >In particular, the International Narcotics Control >Board (INCB) warns that the international online trade >in controlled substances is targeted at vulnerable >people such as addicts. > >But the UN body accepts that controlling Internet >pharmacies is a complicated business, not least >because these pharmacies are operating all over the >world and can - and do - relocate their operations at >short notice whenever they are threatened with legal >action. > >Different national laws and regulations make it >difficult for law enforcers to identify and >investigate illicit use of the Internet. Also, the >sheer volume of letters and parcels shipped on a daily >basis makes it almost impossible for police to detect >illegal shipments and track their origin. > >Despite the difficulties, the INCB has called on >Governments to do more to stamp out the trade. In its >annual report published today the INCB said: >"Governments should ensure that illicit trafficking >and the diversion of pharmaceutical products >containing narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances >are established as criminal offences. Such offences >should be punishable by sanctions commensurate with >their gravity." > >There have been some successes. Last year, a >restaurateur and her son were jailed in Florida for >running an unlicensed Internet pharmacy which >fulfilled orders from a bedroom in her suburban home. >Although they operated only two websites, mother and >son generated a whopping $1.3 million in sales. > >And then there are the consequences of this illegal >trade. Last year, the mother of a Durham University >student called on the Government to do more to stop >unscrupulous companies selling prescription drugs on >the Internet after her son took his own life while >suffering from depression after becoming addicted to a >cocktail of drugs that he obtained online. > >Speaking after his inquest the Sue Bracknell said that >Web sites selling prescription drugs on the Internet >are "cynically manipulating vulnerable people who are >desperate". ®

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