The U.S. Senate has approved a proposal in a spending bill that would allow Americans to bring drugs into the U.S. from Canada if they have a prescription for the drug and if the drug is FDA-approved. The U.S. House of Representatives has approved similar efforts to allow Canadian drug imports in six spending bills over the past seven years. Only one of these proposals survived to the final legislation and was later dropped, apparently because it was written in a way that could not be implemented. Commentators speculate that this proposal will also face difficulties surviving to the final legislation. Debate in the Senate focussed on the risk that imported drugs pose to security. Republicans who opposed the drug import plan said that the drugs could be unsafe for consumers or pose a terrorist risk.
For news reports on the proposed legislation, see:
Senate OKs plans to allow prescription drug imports from Canada http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-07-11-senate-drug_x.htm
U.S. Senate gives nod to Canadian drugs
http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2006/07/11/drugs-tues.html
U.S. Senate approves drug import plan:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/07/11/1679448-ap.html
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