NATION

NATION
Survey: 4% of Americansbuy prescriptions online
NEW YORK -- Only 4 percent of Americans have ever used the Internet to buy prescription drugs -- and even fewer do so through foreign pharmacies -- despite Web sites maintained by a handful of states to help citizens import medicines more cheaply from Canada, a new study finds.
A majority -- 62 percent -- believe drugs bought online are less safe than those purchased from a local pharmacy, accepting the federal government's stated concerns in opposing drug imports, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said in a report Sunday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it cannot guarantee the safety of drugs sold through foreign pharmacies, though it has not stopped states from setting up sites to help consumers buy drugs through Canadian pharmacies.
Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are among states that established such sites.
Associated Press