Cookie Notice
Cookie and Local Storage Notice
Effective July 26, 2026. Analytics is off by default. The table below explains each technology and how to control it.
Technologies used
| Name | Type | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
drugnewsConsentV1 | First-party localStorage | Stores your optional analytics status, policy version, and timestamp so the site does not ask on every page. | Until you change the choice, clear site data, or the policy version changes. |
_ga | First-party analytics cookie | Set by Google Analytics to distinguish browser instances only after consent and only when a real GA4 Measurement ID is configured. | Usually up to two years; browser or Google settings may shorten this period. |
_ga_* | First-party analytics cookie | Stores GA4 session state only after consent. | Usually up to two years; browser or Google settings may shorten this period. |
Default and rejection
On a first visit, analytics_storage, ad_storage, ad_user_data, and ad_personalization all default to denied. If you refuse or have not chosen, the site does not load gtag.js, send Google Analytics collect requests, or create _ga cookies.
Consent and withdrawal
After consent, only analytics storage becomes granted; all advertising-related choices remain denied. You can withdraw through “Privacy settings” in the footer. If analytics has loaded, withdrawal stores the denied status, asks the Google tag to stop analytics, attempts to delete _ga cookies for this domain, and reloads the page so subsequent browsing does not load analytics code.
Browser controls
You can also clear cookies and site data, block third-party cookies, or restrict JavaScript in your browser. Blocking necessary localStorage does not prevent article reading, but the site may be unable to remember your privacy choice.