Chuck
February 23rd, 2005, 08:52 PM
FRANKFORT -- Drug abusers and traffickers in Kentucky could see a
reduction in their Internet drug shipments under a bill passed by the
House of Representatives on Tuesday.
House Bill 343, sponsored by Rep. Mike Weaver, D-Elizabethtown, is
expected to reduce illegal shipments of prescription drugs in Kentucky
by requiring in-state and out-of-state pharmacies to be licensed and
permitted in Kentucky before they could ship drugs here via the
Internet. It would also step up both seizure of illegal shipments and
the prosecution of drug crimes.
To help law enforcement verify legal shipments, Internet pharmacies
would be required to obtain and display a seal of approval from the
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy certifying each pharmacy as a
Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPPS). VIPPS certification
would be required before the pharmacy could receive a state permit.
Individuals and pharmacies that knowingly violate the bill would be
charged with a felony.
Weaver said Kentuckians today can get the "drug of your choice"
delivered to their homes with or without a prescription. HB 343 would
likely curb those shipments, which he said have contributed to the
state's growing problem with prescription drug addiction uncovered last
year by the Attorney General's Office.
Weaver said Kentuckians' prescription drug addictions are not limited to
Oxycontin--a highly addictive pain killer. He told the House that a drug
bust outside a UPS pickup point in Hazard last week netted a $12,000
shipment of Xanax, a popular sedative.
HB 343 passed 97-0 and now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
reduction in their Internet drug shipments under a bill passed by the
House of Representatives on Tuesday.
House Bill 343, sponsored by Rep. Mike Weaver, D-Elizabethtown, is
expected to reduce illegal shipments of prescription drugs in Kentucky
by requiring in-state and out-of-state pharmacies to be licensed and
permitted in Kentucky before they could ship drugs here via the
Internet. It would also step up both seizure of illegal shipments and
the prosecution of drug crimes.
To help law enforcement verify legal shipments, Internet pharmacies
would be required to obtain and display a seal of approval from the
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy certifying each pharmacy as a
Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPPS). VIPPS certification
would be required before the pharmacy could receive a state permit.
Individuals and pharmacies that knowingly violate the bill would be
charged with a felony.
Weaver said Kentuckians today can get the "drug of your choice"
delivered to their homes with or without a prescription. HB 343 would
likely curb those shipments, which he said have contributed to the
state's growing problem with prescription drug addiction uncovered last
year by the Attorney General's Office.
Weaver said Kentuckians' prescription drug addictions are not limited to
Oxycontin--a highly addictive pain killer. He told the House that a drug
bust outside a UPS pickup point in Hazard last week netted a $12,000
shipment of Xanax, a popular sedative.
HB 343 passed 97-0 and now goes to the Senate for its consideration.