What characterized the regulatory environment when sites like PlanetRx.com began operations?

A significant lack of established regulatory clarity specific to internet drug sales

The early phase of e-pharmacy growth, coinciding with the internet's ascendancy in the mid-to-late 1990s, occurred in an environment where governing bodies and organizations were struggling to adapt existing pharmaceutical laws to the borderless and instantaneous nature of digital commerce. There was a significant vacuum concerning established regulations specifically tailored for drug sales conducted over the internet. This created a challenging environment where pioneering online vendors often operated within a regulatory gray area. They had to proactively establish processes to gain consumer confidence while awaiting specific legislation that would eventually catch up to the speed and scope of the new technology, particularly concerning issues like the transmission of prescriptions across state lines.