The use of the Internet as an alternative source of supply of
prescription medications for people using illicit drugs is
unlikely to overtake the street market or doctor shopping for
scripts as a means of obtaining illicit drugs; in 1999–2000
the Health Insurance Commission identified over 9000
“doctor shoppers” (defined as people who had attended 15
or more different general practitioners in 1 year).7
However,
the extent of the current use of the Internet as a source of
drug supply is unclear. Although medications can be
ordered from home, without contacting medical practitioners or pharmacists, ordering drugs over the Internet is still
expensive and entails a 2-week wait for the medications.
However, it may have the potential to encourage people who
would not purchase drugs on the street or “doctor shop” to
purchase drugs over the Internet.
The purchase of medication from offshore pharmacies
also raises the issue of the quality of the medication. Drugs
manufactured in Mexico are not as closely regulated as they
are in Australia or the US, and are not subject to the same
quality standards. This increases the potential for increased
rates of addiction and accidental overdose.
Although the Internet may not be the major source of
supply for illicit drug users, restricting access to Schedule 4
and 8 drugs through this channel can do no harm. This is
where Customs plays an important role. The decrease in the
availability of heroin in Australia caused by the 2001 “heroin
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