Consumers have the right to determine if the drugs are safe, which they often do because regulations in Canada pertaining to safety and drug tampering are just as strict as similar rules in the U.S. All 18 Canadian sites investigated by the General Accounting Office, wrote the journal Community Action in 2004, required consumers to supply a physician-written prescription before filling orders. That was the case for five of 29 U.S. pharmacies; no other foreign pharmacies did. Thus, consumers have the right to choice, and to find the best bargain, just as they might in any other commodity. (Bast, 2005) Viewed as such, importation is just another form of free trade and a "beneficial outcome of changing technology, free trade, and globalization. Free trade benefits everyone, and governments ought not cave in to special pleading by interest groups seeking to avoid competition or limit consumer choice."(Bast, 2004) Opponents counter that Canadian drugs are not as safe as U.S. drugs, and patients are putting themselves at risk. (Colabrese, 2000) Moreover, as these pharmacies often have dubiously legal status, the patients are in effect smuggling, or drug trafficking, even if the substances are to promote health, rather than provide a high.
The administration has recently begun to bow to public pressure. In response to public outcry, "owing to public and political pressure, the Department of Homeland Security agreed this week to stop confiscating the prescription drugs Americans order by mail from Canadian pharmacies." (Basler, 2006) Congress approved a measure that would permit individuals visiting Canada to bring home up to a ninety supply of prescription medicines for their own use. Sponsors of the bill plan to push for a more comprehensive measure that would also legalize mail-order purchases. (Basler, 2006) Even if one believes that the drugs may not...
drugs, surely the patients have a right to take a relatively small risk, state advocates of this policy. (Bast, 2005)
There are two faces to this issue. One face is that of the impoverished senior citizen, who needs to afford his or her drugs to live a comfortable life. The other is a person who orders prescription drugs online "from websites slipped by Canada Customs, drugs prescribed by doctors who had never met their online patients and had more information about their credit card than about their health." (Colabrese, 2000) But perhaps the real issue is the cost of American health care today. Rather than feeling a sense of connection to their family physician, consumers are desperate to cut costs at every possible avenue, in an effort to afford the care they need. Medicine now wears the face of large drug companies, and the lack of affordable health care and health insurance creates resentment in the hearts of patients, who believe that the federal government only has corporate interests at heart, rather than their health.
Works Cited
Colabrese, Inez. "Online Pharmacies." CBS News Report. Broadcast Basler, Barbara (2006) "U.S. Steps Back on Drug Seizures." 2006 AARP Bulletin.
Bast, Joseph. "The Pros and Cons of Importing Drugs from Canada." April 19, 2004.
The Heartland Institute Special Report.
Canadian internet pharmacies have strict standards, U.S. auditors reports." (25 Jul 2005)
Community Action.
Frederick, James. (2003) "Despite upheavals Canadian pharmacies expand reach." Drug
Store News.
It's easy to get a prescription drug online, but is it safe and legal." (2005) Healthy Place. Retrieved 15 Nov 2006 at http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/depression/treatment/antidepressants/online_pharmacies_2.asp
