Online Pharmacies - Are They Legal?

There is a lot of controversy these days about the legality of online pharmacies. In most cases, online pharmacies are legal, however, in some instances they are not. As a consumer, you have to be careful when you are purchasing anything online. This is especially true in the case of online pharmacies. If the pharmacy isn't legal, it could be that you are breaking the law without realizing it! Don't misunderstand. It is perfectly legal to have prescriptions filled online. It is not legal, however, to purchase prescription drugs - online or offline - without a prescription from a licensed doctor. However, just having a prescription is no longer enough. There are many online pharmacies that will happily provide an online doctor to write you a prescription for your prescription drugs. Some won't even charge you for the service. This is not legal.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, a valid prescription is one that is written by a doctor who has a legitimate doctor-patient relationship with the person the prescription is written for. An online doctor that is provided by an online pharmacy does not have a legitimate, ongoing doctor-patient relationship. The DEA further states that the prescription must be written after a valid medical examination and diagnosis, where the doctor concludes that the prescription drug will be used for medical purposes to treat an illness or condition.

The American Medical Association, as well as other responsible medical organizations, do not approve or condone the practices of cyber doctors who issue prescriptions based on questions asked over the Internet - usually through online questionnaires. It is believed that a doctor cannot realistically examine and diagnose a patient that he or she has not examined in person. The American Medical Association prevents innocent customers from getting harmed without their consent.

Furthermore, it is illegal for anyone to import a controlled substance from a foreign country into the United States. While most online pharmacies who do this don't advertise it, you are still legally responsible for this if you order prescription drugs through an online pharmacy that does this. These online pharmacies are operating illegally, and the DEA, the FDA, and other state, federal, and international organizations are working to shut down these illegal online pharmacies.

A legitimate online pharmacy will fill your prescription only after validating the legitimacy of the prescription by contacting your doctor. They must first receive the original signed prescription. If you are considering using an illegal online pharmacy, you might want to reconsider. Illegitimate online pharmacies open and close on a daily basis. They are basically hiding from law enforcement, so they can't stay in one place for very long. When you do business with them, you risk losing your money, having your medication seized (even if your prescription was legitimate), and you may even risk legal action being taken against you.

When looking for an online pharmacy to fill your prescriptions, it is important that you look for the seal from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). The seal will state that the online pharmacy is VIPPS certified. VIPPS stands for 'Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, and means that the site meets the standards for online pharmacy practices as set forth by the NABP. When you see the VIPPS seal from the NABP, visit the NABP website at http://www.nabp.net to ensure that the site really is registered with the NABP and that it is legitimate. Once you've checked the site out with the NABP and assured yourself of its legitimacy, there is no reason in the world why you shouldn't trust that online pharmacy. In most cases, your prescription will be filled and delivered without any problems or unnecessary delays - without risk of legal action!

About The Author:
Jason Petrina is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com