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FC: Feds should be cautious in regulating Net pharmacies --V.Postrel
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 12:28:31 -0500
********* http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/oped/03post.html January 3, 2000 Sometimes the Patient Knows Best By VIRGINIA POSTREL LOS ANGELES -- The Internet's abundance -- of information, goods, tastes and sources of authority -- creates unparalleled opportunities for individuals to get exactly what they want. But this plenitude threatens political and cultural authorities who believe in telling individuals what they can have rather than letting them choose for themselves. It was inevitable, therefore, that the growth of the Internet would lead to complaints that its diversity undermines media standards, traditional morality and political authority. It was inevitable that the Internet would face calls for censorship. And it was equally inevitable that the Internet would clash with American pharmaceutical regulations. The United States government approaches patient choice in medication as Singapore does free speech: its pronouncements sound reasonable and tolerant until you threaten its prerogatives. The Internet ethos of diversity and competition runs exactly counter to uniform, gatekeeper-oriented medical culture -- the technocratic philosophy of the "one best way" embodied in our pharmaceutical regulations. On the Net, medical information is abundant and pharmacies, domestic and foreign, operate on many different models. Now President Clinton is calling for new laws to require pharmacy Web sites to get licenses from the Food and Drug Administration before they can go online. He also wants large new federal fines, up to $500,000 per sale, for selling prescription drugs "without a valid prescription." Determining what's "valid" would put the federal government in the business of regulating medical practice. To enforce these new rules, the administration would give the F.D.A. subpoena powers and $10 million in fiscal 2001. The Clinton initiative would greatly expand federal control over cyberspace while nationalizing state-level pharmacy regulations and common law standards of medical care. High-profile, venture-capital-backed Internet pharmacies like Drugstore.com and PlanetRx.com support the initiative's general philosophy and goals but have expressed concern about whether new federal powers are necessary. They favor stricter enforcement of existing laws. These sites operate within traditional procedures, requiring a prescription from the patient's personal physician. [...] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo () vorlon mit edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- FC: Feds should be cautious in regulating Net pharmacies --V.Postrel Declan McCullagh (Jan 03)