Legalize Canada Drugs

Congress should legalize importation of drugs from

Canada

to ensure Americans’ safety and access to low-cost medications

Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center , a national consumer group, made the following statement regarding the importation of drugs from Canada :

“Many Americans are finding they don’t need to forgo their costly, life-saving prescription drugs, if they buy them from Canada , where there is a 40 percent savings. It’s time for Congress to legalize what has become a solution for countless people with Medicare and the uninsured, who are desperate to get the medications their doctors prescribe but can’t afford them because they have no drug coverage. Given that the Congressional Research Service found that Canada ’s regulation of drugs mirrors that of the U.S. , the next question is: who is Congress trying to protect, drug companies or Americans?

For information on Canadian drug importation, F.A.I.R. Medicare: Importation of Prescription Drugs from Canada, a new Medicare Rights Center policy brief, can be obtained at http://www.medicarerights.org/fairmedicare.html.