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Help Your Teen Avoid Dangerous Drugs Online

csip_slide_bottleandpillsonscreenThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more teens in America overdose from prescription drugs than from heroin and cocaine combined. The fact that these prescription drugs can be easily obtained online without a doctor’s prescription is cause for concern for parents, because of the added danger that teens may acquire dangerous drugs and toxic fakes.

A study by the Partnership at Drugfree.org found that nearly one in five teens report abusing prescription medications to get high and that teen misuse and abuse of prescription drugs has increased 33% since 2008. The results of another recently released survey, the 2013 Monitoring the Future Survey of 40,000 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, also demonstrates the magnitude of the problem. Of the 12th graders who responded, 21.5% reported that they had used prescription drugs without a prescription at least once in their lifetime, while 15% reported doing so within the last year. Teen respondents said that prescription drugs not prescribed to them are readily available — in their own homes, from friends or relatives, and from online pharmacies.

What can parents do?

  • Talk to your teen about the dangers of buying drugs online. Refer to relevant articles on our blog, including the story of Ryan Haight, a teenager who bought “Vicodin” online without a prescription and died from an overdose. Two other worthwhile posts describe the squalid conditions in which counterfeit drugs are produced and the top poisons found in many counterfeit drugs.
  • Educate yourselves using CSIP’s resources so that you better understand ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from dangerous fake medicines and illicit online pharmacies.
  • If you believe your child is buying drugs online, first of all, talk to him or her, directly and candidly. In addition, you might also consider moving any computer he or she is using to a public place in the house where you can more effectively monitor online activities. You may also consider reviewing browsing history, installing blocking software or internet filters as well.
  • Be more vigilant about your teen’s tablet and smartphone use.

CSIP and our members are dedicated to making a difference by providing consumers with the information and tools they need to check an online pharmacy before buying medications through our partner LegitScript’s pharmacy-checker tool. Parents and communities also need to be proactive in order to protect their children. Monitoring a child’s online activity is a difficult personal decision for parents. However, parents should take the lead in educating themselves and their children about prescription drugs abuse and the dangers posed from illegitimate online pharmacies and rogue websites that operate outside of the law.

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The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) and our 13 member companies have the shared goal of helping address the growing problem of consumer access to illegitimate pharmaceutical products on the Internet. Continue to read this blog for updates on CSIP’s education, enforcement and information-sharing efforts.