<story><title>Mailed asthma, cancer, erectile drugs are seized the most, despite opioid claims</title><url>https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/health/fda-drug-shipments-khn-partner/index.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>dangwhy</author><text>how is this not stealing from people who are buying these drugs through the legitimate system.</text></item><item><author>skyyler</author><text>I order my medications illegally because it&amp;#x27;s so much cheaper than doing it through the legitimate system.</text></item><item><author>Tozen</author><text>&amp;gt; This is asthma and cancer medication being seized because of an overly tight control of prescription drugs.&lt;p&gt;Actually, many of these are medications (even life saving ones) being seized to protect inflated pharmaceutical pricing and profits at the expense of poorer Americans (and those lacking health care).  Significant numbers of people are ordering the medications out of desperation.</text></item><item><author>gtop3</author><text>Our prescription drug system needs an overhaul.  This isn&amp;#x27;t a matter of all drugs are illegal to import because of quality control issues.  You can import aspirin, if you are so inclined.  This is asthma and cancer medication being seized because of an overly tight control of prescription drugs.  I understand that some drugs sold overseas are not suitable for human consumption. I understand that some drugs require close supervision.  I argue that many medications are quite safe to take without supervision and using doctors as gatekeepers functions primarily to increase the billings generated by sick people.  I think the bar for what medications are prescription and which medications are OTC needs to be reevaluated. Perhaps the way in which we market drugs and disclose there risks should be reevaluated simultaneously.&lt;p&gt;Imagine taking away someone&amp;#x27;s asthma medication and thinking you are making America a safer, better place.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>NeuNeurosis</author><text>Wow thats a big assumption that the system the user is circumnavigating is legitimate. Their are 2 &amp;quot;official&amp;quot; reasons for that system, safety and patent protection. While both have their merits they don&amp;#x27;t legitimatize the current state of that system. By your definition the only difference in its status of legality is the location those drugs are purchased and used. This is a very flaky foundation for your argument of legitimacy and the outcome of theft. Most of the time any legitimate protest against what you believe is wrong elicits shouts of &amp;quot;theft&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;illegitimate&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;think of the children&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;safety&amp;quot;. This conversation would be much more productive if you provided any examples of that theft or support for why the system is legitimate to begin with. 
That being said I do think the system has a place but it desperately needs overhauled and people seeking alternatives to the system aren&amp;#x27;t the problem but the canary in the coal mine signalling the weakest of our fellow citizens can&amp;#x27;t make do with the system that should be serving them.</text></comment>
<story><title>Mailed asthma, cancer, erectile drugs are seized the most, despite opioid claims</title><url>https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/health/fda-drug-shipments-khn-partner/index.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>dangwhy</author><text>how is this not stealing from people who are buying these drugs through the legitimate system.</text></item><item><author>skyyler</author><text>I order my medications illegally because it&amp;#x27;s so much cheaper than doing it through the legitimate system.</text></item><item><author>Tozen</author><text>&amp;gt; This is asthma and cancer medication being seized because of an overly tight control of prescription drugs.&lt;p&gt;Actually, many of these are medications (even life saving ones) being seized to protect inflated pharmaceutical pricing and profits at the expense of poorer Americans (and those lacking health care).  Significant numbers of people are ordering the medications out of desperation.</text></item><item><author>gtop3</author><text>Our prescription drug system needs an overhaul.  This isn&amp;#x27;t a matter of all drugs are illegal to import because of quality control issues.  You can import aspirin, if you are so inclined.  This is asthma and cancer medication being seized because of an overly tight control of prescription drugs.  I understand that some drugs sold overseas are not suitable for human consumption. I understand that some drugs require close supervision.  I argue that many medications are quite safe to take without supervision and using doctors as gatekeepers functions primarily to increase the billings generated by sick people.  I think the bar for what medications are prescription and which medications are OTC needs to be reevaluated. Perhaps the way in which we market drugs and disclose there risks should be reevaluated simultaneously.&lt;p&gt;Imagine taking away someone&amp;#x27;s asthma medication and thinking you are making America a safer, better place.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>plussed_reader</author><text>Funny you see the theft in one direction and not the other. Isn&amp;#x27;t the black market just a natural expression of agents engaging in free market principles?</text></comment>