Woman: E-pharmacies
Man: A pharmacy is a shop where medicines are prepared and sold. An e-pharmacy is a company that operates on the internet, selling medicines which are often illegal or controlled by doctors in many countries.
Listen to this short conversation:
Woman: What are you doing on the computer now?
Man: I’m surfing the internet to find a good e-pharmacy that specialises in hair loss.
Woman: Are you sure that’s safe, wouldn’t you be better going to a doctor or a hair clinic?
Man: I’m just looking at what’s available, I didn’t say I was going to buy anything.

Woman: Drugs.
Man: Although drugs are often referred to as illegal substances, it is American English for medicine. N.B. pharmacies are often called drug stores in American English and chemist’s in British English.
For example
Woman: I have a terrible headache.
Man: Here take this drug, they really work, I bought them in America.
Woman: A Prescription
Man: This is a piece of paper on which a doctor has written the name of the medicine that you need, and you take your prescription to the chemist’s and get the medicine there. N.B. Many medicines are not available without a prescription from a doctor.
For example:
Woman: What time is it, please?
Man: It’s a quarter past ten.
Woman: Never! I’ve been waiting over an hour, just to get a simple prescription from the doctor.

Woman: Powerless
Man: This means not having the ability to control something.
For example:
Woman: Aah, you are eating chocolate again! I’m completely powerless to help you with your diet.
Man: It’s just a little piece.

Woman: Now let’s listen to some information about the dangers of buying medicine over the internet.

With the advent of the internet, thousands of powerful drugs can be bought online. While the net is home to many legitimate pharmacies, it is also home to a number of e-pharmacies that operate illegally selling drugs to anyone willing to pay for them.
Anyone can buy treatments for cancer, impotence or depression and other medicines that are generally only available with a prescription. The pharmaceutical industry says it is concerned but powerless: websites that operate in countries with tight rules can be shut down, but other websites ship drugs from countries where a prescription is not required under the law.
Doctors fear that bringing this phenomenon under control may be impossible. “We need to educate patients about the dangers of buying medicines over the internet” said a spokesman for the British Medical Association, “People should not be taking medicines without medical advice.”