Underage Teens Receive Alcohol and Drugs Through The Mail

The internet has facilitated an unprecedented level of access to products and services around the world. Almost anyone with a credit card, gift card, or online payment account can purchase items online. This happens to include intoxicating substances, both legal and illegal, distributed via the “underground” internet.

Yes, there are people who will buy alcohol legally, then sell it online illegally to underage teens – shipped right to their parents’ home. Teens are buying liquor, marijuana, and other substances online and having it shipped discreetly to the mailbox or to the front door via UPS.

An 18 year old college student at the University of Central Florida had 20 ounces of marijuana shipped from California to his on-campus apartment. This story, in the Orlando Sentinel, highlights the growing concern in society about the increased availability of drugs and the growing market for them that is springing up on the internet.

As our society grapples with legalization pros and cons, one might argue that too much freedom too soon produces an array of unnecessary risks and temptations. Eleanor Roosevelt once said “With freedom comes great responsibility.”

Over a decade ago, the U.S. government began its crackdown on a sudden rise in mail order prescriptions. Individuals from around the country had begun ordering cheaper medications online from supposed pharmacies in Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines. These were medications with no guaranteed quality control or regulatory oversight, and not subject to FDA approval.

Another factor driving the proliferation of illegal drug activity via the internet is the quick profit to be made by those who simply resale these drugs to friends and even younger neighborhood kids.

Increasing access to alcohol and drugs brings with it the possibility of many years of damaging ripple effects to families and to society.