Is it legal to offer / order prescription meds without a prescription?


No. If they are prescription drugs they require a valid prescription to be sold. That is true in USA, Germany, Spain, Canada, France and everywhere else.

That said the same medications can be over the counter in some countries and require prescription in others.

Some countries do not enforce prescription drug laws and in many countries most prescription drugs, except narcotics, are available without prescription.

Do not believe anyone telling you a controlled substance in one country can be an over the counter substance in another. The controlled substance laws are basically the same in all countries.

Truth is some so called "online pharmacies" are not licensed as pharmacies, do not have a pharmacist on staff, and will sell you prescription drugs even if it is illegal for them to sell and for you to receive...

Consumers are not responsible for whether a medication is legal or not to purchase, unless they're in a crack house or back alley, yuk, yuk. It is the pharmacy or on-line provider who is responsible for knowing the laws of each state they become licensed in. You know, this is one reason folks in certain states have a very hard time getting some meds - the pharmacy is legit and knows the licensing laws for that area concerning various meds. That's when you go to Canada or international. (oops, I didn't say that)
verrrrry innnterestingggg, eh?

SoHo... they are talking about IOP's not ROP's...

importing into the US which is illegal any way you slice it (unless you have a DEA importation license) ... but many do it anyway to supplement this broken system.

Thank you for replying. Yes, I have some cute packages that come in from other countries, and I see the wisdom of your comments.

Its just like anything else. Is littering illegal? Can you get in trouble? Have people gotten tickets for littering? Is smoking marijuana illegal? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

BUT how often have people been arrested for litering, smoking pot, minors buying cigarettes, people buying medications online, or OPs getting busted.

Few and far in between. I have yet to hear of someone on here getting busted or arrested or charged. I have been using OPs and online since 1999.

Does it happen? Yes Will it happen to you? depends but unlikely.

"smoking pot" is not a good example. Unfortunatly, many have been imprisoned for years for a joint.

Nine years is certainly a long time to be ordering drugs online. No wonder you are so knowledgeable about the ins and outs.
You indicated sometime earlier that you were 22 years old and recently graduated school to become a Pharmacy Technician. Does this mean that you started buying drugs online when you were 13 years old? That does seem pretty young. Possibly I've misunderstood some of your posts about the legality of buying drugs via the Internet. If so, maybe you could clear that up for me.
Thanks

and we wonder why the RHA was passed!

Well, let's face it. Several years ago you could literally point, click, enter credit card number and have medicine the next day. I pretty much missed those days, but I have an older sister with chronic pain problems and she told me that she ordered hundreds of pills a month! I found this site (DB) about 2 months before all those sites were busted, but I assume it was going on for a long time? I guess I could kick myself for order Ultram for years from an IOP when I could have been getting decent medicine from within the US.

So yeah, there's a chance that Martin could have been 13 and ordering medicine. I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that there were no restrictions on how many times you could order or any other restrictions, so children may have gotten ahold of medicine they shouldn't have.

I'm really glad I have a pain specialist now but it took me many years and many different doctors, exams, MRIs, physical therapy, etc. before someone would help me. I would have given my right arm to be around when you could literally "point and click" to get meds!

Is it technically illegal in anyway to order a drug online that is uncontrolled,e.g. Tramadol?

actually in most of the rest of the civilized world what in the US are class III narcotics are OTC in the form of codeine and either an Aspirin or APAP.

The canadian (and other former UK colonies) 222's for example are 8mg of codeine, caffeine, and aspirin and are OTC where sold (candada, uk, jamaica, etc) but they'd be class III narcotics in the US.

depends on who you order it from and how.

if you order a LOT of it from a shady 3rd world "pharmacy" without being under a doctors care with the right paperwork and all it's technically illegal.

if you order it from http://www.mastersmarketing.com they do EVERYTHING to the letter of UK, EU, and US law.

so it is very possible to legally order meds internationally.

Doesn't it depend on the quantity and don't you have to have a license to import the drug? Any info would be appreciated.

So, why did they have to pass the Ryan law, then, and make it illegal effective in April? Is this the DEA interpretation a la April, 2008.....

This is scary stuff and a bit shocking considering April hasn't come yet.

Oh wait, I think they are relying on STATE law.....

Is that so? Do you have a license for importation of prescription drugs?
Otherwise there is no question that it is illegal for an individual to import these medications.
Or did you read this disclaimer on a foreign "pharmacy" web site and assume they were telling the truth?

It is not legal to import from another country without the license to import..period....that is all that can be said on the subject...

Apparently no matter how often it is said there are those that choose to not believe it.
So maybe it can't be said enough.

It takes a gentleman to suffer ignorance and smile!

Keep on smiling martind, and you are right it probably cannot be said enough!!

HI,

3 month supply, for your own personal use, prescription (yes you have to send them a copy), dr's info, original packaging, properly declared on the customs forms, etc...

I used to use Masters for almost everything except schedule stuff (which I get cheap locally) now it's just 1 item because it's gotten to be a hassle having to scan/send the scripts (it's now a multistep process not just a click and pay like it used to be).

sustained release Tramadol (Ultram-cr in the -only- US brand) is half the price from Masters as Ultram-CR is from my local US pharmacy even WITH insurance since insurance won't cover the name brand sustained release product, only the instant release 50mg generic.

and Sandoz Dramadol is no 3rd world product.

sure I could probably buy it cheaper (and illegally) from some 3rd world "pharmacy" but I'd rather get a good product at a good price legally.

yes... it MAY be illegal and it MAY be dangerous... and it MAY not be too.

I may run a marathon some day... I probably won't.

even in their scare post they only talk about schedule drugs.

if you follow their own little link you'll see they admit that "The DEA recognizes that <...> some Internet sites facilitate legitimate prescribing and dispensing practices"

most IOPs don't follow US law... they're in countries where you can buy anything OTC... they don't declare anything, they sell schedule meds, they don't require the proper documentation, they don't declare for customs, they take things out of the original packaging, etc.

but that's not to say that ALL do.

Heck Masters Marketing won't sell you things that are OTC in the UK because they're not OTC here...

like Panafen+ is OTC there and schedule III here.

and it depends on the pharmacy and what you're trying to order and how.

I've used Masters Marketing since '92 when you had to fax a request for a price quote, they fax back the prices/choices (generic vs name brand etc), then you could fax them the order and CC info (it was/is illegal for them to send a pricelist to the US)

I found out about them from that rogue outfit the AARP.

can you order 10,000 bars of xanax from them no questions asked?

NO.

and the new prescription requirements have made it a real hassle but for 90$/month savings I'll get 1 script filled from them.

I'M CONFUSED. Last year before the president signed the new law, what is legal to buy controlled drugs off the internet through a rop that required proper, real medicals, recent physical and sent film which he or she should have and had a real detailed consultation. Does it come down to if you actually received the written script which would make it legal and illegal if the meds ere just shipped to your house?

From what I read from the DEA, thats my interpretation. Anybody, please correct me.
Thanks

A doctor in the US used to prescribe me Lortab for my knee and lower back problem. Now I am in Bulgaria and here Rules are much tougher- you need to be a cancer patient to receive any kind of controlled substance pain meds. All I want to order is 120 Lortabs. Why should I use? Buying on line is confusing to me and I am afraid if everything is legal. ANy suggestions? Again, I am outside of the USA.
Thank you for any imput.

xxx off topic deleted xxx

From what I gather, it is illegal to order w/o a license. My question is more to do with what my doc might think of it. I've tried ordering generic Provigil (modafinil) b/c the brand Cephalon is so outrageously priced (over $12.50 per 200mg tab). I wasn't crazy about the quality of the generic that I received, and am worried about what might have actually been in it and the urine test at my PM clinic. Next time I see my doc I wanted to ask him about Indian generics, but I am concerned that he might really disapprove and that could perhaps hurt the trust I have built with him.

I do have a script, but I am unsure of my docs reaction. Has anyone had any experience talking to their doc about a prescribed med purchased online due to local pharm cost?

Doctors often frown upon obtaining medication online.

Thanks Salty, that's what I assumed.