These words could kill. Yet tampering with prescription drugs to amplify their effects is a growing health hazard. A study published this month suggests that droves of people are turning to the internet to search for and swap advice on how to tamper with prescription drugs, for instance, by snorting those prescribed for hyperactivity disorders, or chewing skin patches containing potentially lethal painkillers. Toxicologists are calling on pharmaceutical companies to wise up to these tricks.” (New Scientist)
True this is a widespread and growing problem, but there is another far more common internet contribution to drug abuse. As a physician used to the considerations that go into prescribing a controlled substance for a patient, it took me a long while to wrap my head around the new reality — quite simply, the lack of a prescription is no longer a barrier to obtaining virtually any controlled substance, as you might suspect from the spam mail that fills your inboxes. It has reached the point where the only substance abusers coming into our emergency room for detox who need to buy their drugs on the street are the ones unresourceful enough not to have an internet connection and a credit card to order by mail.
