A study from Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Southern California has found a correlation between increased Internet access and rising admisssions for treatment of prescription drug abuse.

The report, which has been published by the journal Health Affairs, suggests that increased access to rogue online pharmacies that dole out drugs such as percocet and Oxycontin without a doctor's prescription may help partly explain a rapid rise in abuse of such drugs. Examining data from the FCC about Internet access by state and from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration about admissions to substance abuse facilities, the researchers found that states with the greatest high-speed Internet access expansion between 2000 and 2007 also had the biggest rise in admissions for prescription drug abuse treatment (a 10% increase in broadband Internet availability in a state was matched by a 1% rise in admissions for drug abuse).

BY THE NUMBERS: Broadband divide still exists

The researchers found during the same period it examined that admissions to treat abuse of drugs like heroin and cocaine not easily available online grew only slightly or decreased.

"The lack of an increase in abuse of drugs not available on the Internet suggests that an overall growth in drug-seeking behavior cannot explain the rise in prescription drug abuse," said Dr. Anupam Jena of the MGH Department of Medicine. "Further studies need to better evaluate how easily commonly abused prescription drugs can be purchased online and explore the importance to the problem of foreign Internet pharmacies, which are outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. government."

The U.S. government, and even Google, have been fighting rogue online pharmacies. The U.S. Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act went into effect in 2009, prohibiting delivery of controlled substances not prescribed by a physician after an in-person examination, and the Food & Drug Administration has issued warnings to dozens of online pharmacies for violations.

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