Addiction experts call for UK ban of Xanax on the web

One of the UK’s leading addiction recovery support services is calling for online sales of the anxiety drug Xanax to be banned due to its highly addictive properties and risk to thousands of lives.

Xanax, also known as Alprazolam, is a benzodiazepine tranquilliser commonly prescribed to treat anxiety and panic attacks. It has a calming effect on users.

However, it is the drug’s long-term addictive properties and easy availability online without prescription that have caused London-based addiction service, Right at Home Central London, to raise awareness of the drug’s hidden dangers and seek government help to ban unregulated sales, particularly to vulnerable users.

In the UK, the NHS does not prescribe Xanax and due to its unregulated state, it is unknown how many people order Xanax online, but the UK is estimated to purchase 20% of all Xanax sales on the web.

More worrying, says a spokesman for Right at Home, is the dangers of misusing the drug, with a BBC report linking at least 204 deaths to Xanax misuse since 2015.

As well as the rise of usage among UK teenagers, with drugs charity Addaction reporting that children as young as 13 were buying Xanax online.

Right at Home Central London has launched an online petition and is aiming to get 10,000 signatures in order to demand a government response to the problem.

Bryan McMorrine, managing director at Right at Home Central London, said vulnerable people need to be protected from the drug.

‘Xanax’s easy availability on the internet without prescription has sparked our action to try to get web sales without prescription better monitored or banned in the UK.

‘Vulnerable teenagers and adults must be better protected from this highly addictive drug.

‘Improved tracking of Xanax sales is another part of our campaign. There is at present no regulatory body or government law that prohibits the online purchase by anyone with access to a credit card of this dangerous drug.

‘We believe it is the duty of the government to bring attention and find a solution to this threat.’

To sign the ‘Make Xanax Vanish’ petition, click here.

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