Online pharmacies a growing source of illegal drugs

From this report

People addicted to prescription drugs are increasingly avoiding doctors and hospitals to get their supply.

Instead, they're relying on the Internet.

Drug shipments from illegal online pharmacies were once so frequent in Appalachia that delivery companies had to add trucks to their routes.

Police have cracked down on such deliveries, but are still confronted by a booming global network of so-called rogue pharmacies operating online.

A recent study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found hundreds of Web sites illegally dispensing drugs like Vicodin and Xanax without prescriptions.

All that's required in most cases is a credit card.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration says such pharmacies are not only illegal, but dangerous.

Congress is considering legislation that would stiffen penalties for illegal online prescription drug sales.