3 ms·

If it's not a controlled substance, you can buy all you want, but it's illegal to sell it unless it's been approved by the FDA. Sure, if you want to order your

If it's not a controlled substance, you can buy all you want, but it's illegal to sell it unless it's been approved by the FDA. Sure, if you want to order your meds from online pharmacies based in India and Vanuatu, you can (and I personally know people who order cyproterone acetate from these pharmacies because it's the best oral anti-androgen in existence but hasn't been approved by the FDA mostly out of laziness/cheapness), but you can expect to pay a lot of money. Oh, and you run the very small risk of having your meds confiscated by customs (they legally can't take action against you, because buying isn't illegal, but they can confiscate it because selling is illegal), but thankfully the government only has the resources to actively confiscate meds from online pharmacies one week per year (look up "Operation Pangea"). Even for a drug that's approved by the FDA, you'll be paying more to order the meds online than you will to go to a doctor, pay for the visit out of pocket, and have the prescription filled at Walmart (I have personal experience with this: because it's a pain in the ass to find doctors who will treat trans people, a lot of us start off ordering our meds from online pharmacies before we find a doctor, and it's not a huge deal because dosages are standardized, you can order private blood tests from certain labs, and official clinical guidelines are freely available for download -- but it's always cheaper to go through a doctor even if you're self-paying, the problem is finding a doctor in the first place).

Alex3917 9y ago
> it's illegal to sell it unless it's been approved by the FDA. Source? I'm pretty sure this is only true if you advertise the product as being for human consumption. The U.S. has basically zero restrictions on selling random chemicals. C.f.: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/it-could-take-centuries-for-epa-to-test-all-the-unregulated-chemicals-under-a-new-landmark-bill/ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/it-could-take-centuries-...
- refurb 9y ago
  You and the grandparent are correct. That's why you have the DEA doing "emergency scheduling" of various analogues of controlled substances. Otherwise, they have no legal recourse to stop the sale of the chemical. That said, if you start claiming your "chemical" has health benefits, then the FDA will get all over you for making unproven health claims. The one exception is the supplement market in the US. If you can trace the chemical back to a natural source, then you are allowed to sell it, and I believe make claims based on what data is available, but you still can't make unproven claims. It's a jungle of regulations out there.
chiefalchemist 9y ago
My understanding is, if you possess a prescription drug without a script then that is, at that point, relative to you, an illegal drug. Sure, no one is going to do time for, say, thyroid meds, but opoids is a whole other story. This is why is cracks me up when people want to tie public services (e.g., food stamps) to drug testing. Imagine how many (white) middle class kids would be denied school is their parents' blood/piss tested positive for drugs they had no script for. Lol
- mveety 9y ago
  That depends. AFAIK, if its prescribed to you and you give it to someone else, that's illegal whether or not its scheduled. Otherwise, if it isn't scheduled, there's no real legal issue there. Drug testing in the US is insane.
  - chiefalchemist 9y ago
    Yes. If it's OTC and you possess it but have no script (for you) then that's "illegal drugs." I'd like to see a study/figure for illegal drug use using that proper definition. P.s. Script and illegal use of prescription opioids are the gateway to street opiods (e.g., heroin).

Alex3917 9y ago

> it's illegal to sell it unless it's been approved by the FDA. Source? I'm pretty sure this is only true if you advertise the product as being for human consumption. The U.S. has basically zero restrictions on selling random chemicals. C.f.: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/it-could-take-centuries-for-epa-to-test-all-the-unregulated-chemicals-under-a-new-landmark-bill/ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/it-could-take-centuries-...

refurb 9y ago
You and the grandparent are correct. That's why you have the DEA doing "emergency scheduling" of various analogues of controlled substances. Otherwise, they have no legal recourse to stop the sale of the chemical. That said, if you start claiming your "chemical" has health benefits, then the FDA will get all over you for making unproven health claims. The one exception is the supplement market in the US. If you can trace the chemical back to a natural source, then you are allowed to sell it, and I believe make claims based on what data is available, but you still can't make unproven claims. It's a jungle of regulations out there.

chiefalchemist 9y ago

My understanding is, if you possess a prescription drug without a script then that is, at that point, relative to you, an illegal drug. Sure, no one is going to do time for, say, thyroid meds, but opoids is a whole other story. This is why is cracks me up when people want to tie public services (e.g., food stamps) to drug testing. Imagine how many (white) middle class kids would be denied school is their parents' blood/piss tested positive for drugs they had no script for. Lol

mveety 9y ago
That depends. AFAIK, if its prescribed to you and you give it to someone else, that's illegal whether or not its scheduled. Otherwise, if it isn't scheduled, there's no real legal issue there. Drug testing in the US is insane.
- chiefalchemist 9y ago
  Yes. If it's OTC and you possess it but have no script (for you) then that's "illegal drugs." I'd like to see a study/figure for illegal drug use using that proper definition. P.s. Script and illegal use of prescription opioids are the gateway to street opiods (e.g., heroin).