June 25, 2008 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Web host and domain registrar Go Daddy (godaddy.com) is urging the US Congress to accept legislation to stop online pharmacies from selling controlled drugs without a valid prescription.
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Congress representatives Lamar Smith, Bart Stupak and Mary Bono Mack introduced legislation Tuesday "to stop rogue internet pharmacies and protect the safety of consumers who fill legitimate prescriptions online," according to a Go Daddy press release.
Having considerable clout as the world's largest registrar, Go Daddy sent general counsel Christine Jones to Washington, D.C. where she testified to Members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security that the scope of illegal online drug businesses is worsening and the US needs to deal with it by passing enforceable laws.
"This isn't just about people trying to save money on prescription drugs by unknowingly buying counterfeit brand name pills," Jones said in the press release. "This is about young kids who use their parents' credit card, tell them they are buying music or video games and instead stock the weekly party with enough ecstasy for them and all their friends. This is very, very serious." A 2007 report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Colombia University found 84 percent of Web sites selling prescription medications do not require a doctor's prescription.
Outspoken CEO and founder Bob Parsons has been known to hold strong opinions in his blog (bobparsons.tv). He has used his money and influence to help flood victims earlier this month, but made waves back in June 2005 when he said the interrogation methods the US military is using at Guantanamo "are incredibly mild. All of the prisoners receive regular medical attention. In contrast, Americans who are captured in the Middle East have their heads hacked off." He has since apologized for the statement, but has not stopped using his position to make his opinions known.
The issue of internet pharmacies may be doubly important for Go Daddy, which has costly, round-the-clock monitoring of their hosted web pages to monitor illegal activity. The company's abuse department suspended more than 1,300 web sites last year that sold drugs "mostly without a prescription and almost always without any age verification or parental oversight required," according to the press release.
