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CONSUMER ALERT!
Buying controlled substances prescription drugs on-line may be illegal.

Web sites offering to sell prescription controlled substances directly to consumers "without a prescription" or "without requiring a doctor visit" are operating outside the requirements of the federal Controlled Substances Act.

It is illegal to purchase controlled substances, which include drugs such as narcotic pain relievers (e.g., OxyContin®, Vicodin®), sedatives (e.g., Valium®, Xanax®, Ambien®), stimulants or "diet drugs" (e.g., phentermine, phendimetrazine, Adderall®, Ritalin®), and anabolic steroids (e.g., Winstrol®, Equipoise®), unless you or your pharmacy has received a valid prescription from your doctor. A valid prescription requires a legitimate doctor-patient relationship, which in turn requires a valid medical examination, diagnosis and conclusion that the drugs prescribed are for a legitimate medical purpose. Responsible professional medical organizations, such as the American Medical Association and state boards of medicine and pharmacy, have all condemned the practice of "cyber doctors" issuing prescriptions on the basis of online questionnaires and consider it to be an unprofessional and unacceptable standard of care. The DEA and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have also concluded that obtaining prescription drugs, including controlled substances, by simply filling out a questionnaire or placing an order with a website offering such products for sale does not meet the legal requirements of a valid prescription. It is illegal for a consumer to import a controlled substance from a foreign country – and many sources of prescription drugs sold via the Internet are foreign even when not advertised as such.

Agencies such as the DEA, the FDA, and many others at the state, federal and international levels, are working to eliminate these illegal web-based pharmacy operations. However, consumers must be aware that obtaining controlled substances in violation of the law places them at risk legally, and that drugs shipped from illegally operating sites which are found in domestic and international mail/transport facilities are subject to seizure.

For more information, see the Federal Register Notice - "Guidance - Dispensing and Purchasing Controlled Substances Over the Internet"