Did you know that “Canadian Online Drugstore” is the second-most popular subject line in spam e-mails, according to a recent study by IBM?

Unfortunately, such solicitations can be deadly. The safety of ordering drugs online is currently a major issue for consumers and federal regulators. In fact, the Drug Enforcement Administration has identified illegal online pharmacies as a factor in the growing problem of prescription drug abuse - particularly of potent painkillers such as Vicodin, Xanax and hydrocodone.

This makes it more important than ever to choose your source wisely when ordering medications online. Fortunately, if you know what to look for, finding a trustworthy Internet pharmacy isn’t that difficult.

Here are five tips for choosing an online pharmacy:

1. Verify that the pharmacy has a valid license. Every online pharmacy should have a license in its home state or, in the case of Canada, province. Locate the pharmacy’s license number on its Web site and the name of the regulatory agency that granted the license. Call or e-mail the regulatory agency to confirm the license’s authenticity.
2. Look for the seal of one of the major verification authorities. Legitimate online pharmacies, in virtually every case, have been awarded a membership seal by one of the following third-party organizations: IMPAC, CIPA, VIPPS, Pharmacy Checker, MIPA, or the NCPA. Rogue pharmacies, however, sometimes display these seals fraudulently. Therefore, it is important to confirm membership, which can generally be achieved through a simple search on the verification authority’s Web site.
3. Make sure the pharmacy requires a prescription, your medical history, and your doctor’s contact information. Legitimate pharmacies require a prescription from a doctor who has seen you in person. Your online pharmacy should require that an original prescription be sent to it via the mail, faxed directly from your doctor’s office, or be verified by a telephone conversation with your physician’s office. An online pharmacy that does not require prescriptions is breaking the law and cannot be trusted to put your wellbeing first. While it may be tempting to skip a doctor’s visit and order directly from a no-prescription pharmacy, it is simply not worth the risk.
4. Ask to speak to a pharmacist. Every Web site should have a brick-and-mortar pharmacy where it fills your prescription, with a licensed pharmacist on hand to ensure you receive the correct medication and to answer any questions you might have. If an online pharmacy does not display its location and contact information prominently, go someplace else. An e-mail address is not sufficient.
5. Never choose a pharmacy based on a spam solicitation. Legitimate online pharmacies respect your personal and financial privacy. They don’t spam you, sell your information to third parties, or use unencrypted technologies for conducting financial transactions. Before ordering, read the pharmacy’s privacy and security policies to be sure your credit card number, health information and other personal information are protected.

If you follow these steps, you can be assured that you have chosen a pharmacy that meets all the standards of your corner drugstore. But remember that any pharmacy - whether on the Web or down the street - can make a mistake, such as filling the wrong prescription.

Your best protection against pharmacy errors is knowledge. Specifically, you should know what your medicine looks like. Knowing the size, shape, texture, taste, color and smell of a medication can help you identify when you have been given the wrong drug or, worse, a drug that has been tampered with.