Reuters (2/29, Dahl, Croft, Subscription Publication) reports that illegal pharmacies based on the Internet are utilizing social media to publicize and market their wares to young people, according to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). INCB President Hamid Ghodse was quoted as saying, “Illegal Internet pharmacies have started to use social media to publicize their websites, which can put large audiences at risk of dangerous products.” According to Ghodse, such illegal pharmacies use YouTube and Facebook for such purposes.
The Financial Times (2/29, Jack, Rappeport, Subscription Publication) reports that the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board warned, in its 2011 annual report, of “relatively slow progress” from governments in banning illegal drug sales online. Of note, the US Food and Drug Administration has recently been trying to stop such illegal sales and warned about websites offering fake drugs and supplements.
Related Links:
— “Social Media Used to Sell Drugs to Youth, Report Says,”Reuters, The New York Times, February 28, 2012.