A bill has quietly been working its way up through Capitol Hill and has just arrived at the White House. Any day now, it will cross the desk of President Bush so he can go through the motions of signing it into law. The aim of this new law is to allow the DEA to take more positive control over the online pharmacy market. According to the lawmakers, too many internet outlets are supplying drugs without a prescription. The whole point of the current face-to-face system is to provide some level of control over who gets access to sometimes dangerous drugs. From the statistics of abuse provided by the Emergency Rooms around the US, many people are abusing prescription drugs. The need for new powers is all the more pressing when the drugs in question are already listed as controlled substances.

As it happens, the bill is limited in its scope. It does not apply to online pharmacies unless they are physically based within the US and it does not apply to non-controlled drugs such as the hair-loss medication Propecia. Even more significantly, it does not affect the payment systems. The key measure that effectively shut down many of the online gambling sites targeted credit card payments. There are no provisions to limit credit card or other payment systems, there are no limits on the results on search engines - Google can continue to carry the sites of the offshore pharmacies - and there are no new powers to stop packages as they enter the US.

The DEA has been active in shutting down pharmacies or prosecuting those behind online pharmacy operations based in the US. Their primary concern has been to close operations that supply controlled substances in bulk. There is little the DEA can do to prevent people from buying one or two tablets from a street dealer, but it is trying to prevent easy online access to drugs in quantity. As to all the other medications such as propecia, there is no need to worry or change any of your existing practices. Online pharmacies based outside the US can continue to supply you with your medication at a discounted price. In the case of propecia, for example, you can make major savings as against the normal retail price payable in your neighborhood pharmacy. This is free market economics at its best, giving you the best value for your dollar at a time when the economy is going through a tough patch.