Do you ever shop for discounts on Craigslist? The popular website and bartering marketplace is a great place to find furniture, jobs and more. One of the things that it’s absolutely not supposed to be great for is obtaining prescription drugs. Yet a thriving prescription drug marketplace has taken hold on Craigslist in the “Health and Beauty” section of the site.
As you can imagine, this is a bit of a problem. In particular, it’s a big problem for a California State Senator by the name of Ted Lieu. He’s looking to take action against these posts, which are definitely illegal, yet somehow keep showing up on Craigslist.
Selling Illegal Prescription Drugs on Craigslist
Before the State Senator became aware that people were basically selling heroin in pill form on Craigslist, it wasn’t uncommon to see people listing prescription drugs for sale. Typically, they weren’t as hardcore as Oxycontin, though.
Common enough were ads listing someone’s old pills or the unused remnants of a prescription that might have been just a little too big. When Senator Lieu noticed that individuals were straight-up peddling hard drugs on the site, however, he realized that he needed to take action.
He got together with another State Senator, one named Tick Sergerblom from Nevada. Together, they got in touch with the CEO of Craigslist in a bid to get him to ban the ads and prevent them from ever showing up on his website again.
Lieu and his partner were arguing that these illegal advertisements were contributing to overdose deaths, and that they had to stop.
The Ads for Illegal Prescription Drugs Haven’t Stopped
The strange thing is that the ads haven’t stopped showing up yet. This despite the fact that they’re illegal, andtwo United States lawmakers have apparently personally contacted the CEO of the website hosting them.
Plus, the posts selling prescription drugs are very clearly in violation of Craigslist’s Terms of Use.
As the LA Weekly points out:
“Craigslist’s Terms of Use include prohibiting the ‘distribution, provision or receipt of illegal goods or services.’ But the ads still show up.”
Odder still is the fact that the ads keep showing up in the “Health and Beauty” section. A recent search performed by the LA Weekly turned up about 17 ads, all of them peddling some pretty hard drugs.
One of the listings LA Weekly found even warned of the fact that one of the couples selling drugs was armed, and advised that they would “rob you” if you made the mistake of trying to buy your illegal Craigslist drugs from them.
Senator Lieu Hopes for a Solution Soon
Senator Lieu insists that these Craigslist ads and the consequent sale of illegal prescription drugs are contributing to overdose statistics, and hopes that he can help get them banned from the website permanently.
And if you’re wondering why the police don’t simply bust these folks, it’s because they’re more focused on street crime. Especially given the fact that many large departments (like the LAPD, in particular) are understaffed and underfunded.
In the meantime, Senator Lieu will continue to try to get the illegal drug ads removed from Craigslist for good, and hopes the website will help cooperate.
What Do You Think?
What do you think about prescription drug sales on Craigslist? Have you come across these ads in your area? Share your opinion with us in the comments below.
See Also
CA Law Targets Scalpers Who Buy Tickets to Resell on Ebay, StubHub, Craigslist
Don’t Get Scammed on Craigslist: 3 New Anti-Fraud Safety Tips
Super Bowl Ticket Scam Has Unlikely Happy Ending PLUS 7 Tips to Avoid Counterfeits
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