As a Portland Drug Crimes Lawyer, I have seen people get into trouble by acquiring prescription drugs through the internet. It may seem like a good idea to purchase prescription drugs over the internet or purchase them in foreign countries. After all, they advertise steep discounts on common drugs and delivery to your home by mail, which is convenient. However, there are some clear reasons that people should avoid internet drug sales and purchasing drugs in foreign countries.
First, the vast majority of internet drug transactions are illegal. More importantly, the DEA constantly monitors these companies and takes action against them, both at home and abroad. They ultimately discover a companies customer list. If a person has purchased narcotic drugs that transaction constitutes a felony possession of a controlled substance if the drug is a schedule II opiate. If one gives or sells the drug to another person, that can be a felony drug delivery with serious legal consequences. If a person delivers drugs to another person and that person overdoses and dies, the seller can be liable for serious Federal charges under the Len Bias Law and a long prison sentence.
Second, a person ordering these drugs has no idea of what they are actually receiving. Pills that purport to be oxycodone could be another kind of opiate or contain no medication at all. These drugs are almost never the product of mainstream drug manufacturers. The drugs are made on commercial pill presses and the makers can imitate the markings of real drugs. It is common for a drug to purport to be hydrocodone (Vicodin) and actually turn out to be Darvon, a drug that can be dangerous for people who suffer from cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac abnormalities. Codeine is another cheap and common substitute for any drug that purports to be an opiate.
These illicit “prescription” drug manufacturers make their products in an unmonitored environment with no quality control. The substitutions of ingredients they make can cause problems for individuals who are allergic to the substituted compound or people who have other health problems that are aggravated by the substituted drug. These suppliers use crude binders, such as lactose, that can cause gastrointestinal problems. No one knows the conditions under which the drugs are made and other contaminants are often present in the “offshore” drugs.
As a Portland Criminal Defense Attorney, I caution my clients not to use these sites to acquire drugs. Obtaining of drugs through these sites is illegal and the risk of getting something other than you ordered is substantial.
By James F. O’Rourke Jr.
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