A new revolution in Massachusetts
I know I don't need to restate this, but I will for the
record: I think most prescription drugs are needless, and
most are downright detrimental to your health. That having
been said, I also know that most doctors deal out
prescriptions like they're Halloween candy, and that most
patients do what their doctors tell them to - which means
somehow getting those prescriptions filled without going
bankrupt. So consider:
Fact #1: The pharmaceutical industry is this country's most
profitable business.
Fact #2: Americans pay more for prescription drugs than
citizens of any other country.
Fact #3: More than a million Americans save money by buying
their prescription drugs in Canada. And technically, this
makes every one of these people a criminal.
Almost exactly one year ago (Daily Dose, 5/13/2003), I wrote
to you about the conflict brewing with regard to American
citizens buying prescription drugs for far less money "over
the border" in Canada. Currently, this practice is illegal.
WHY it's against the law is a mystery to me - and to
millions of others. Citizens of the U.S. are free to buy
just about anything else across the borders of our
neighboring countries (including alcohol), so why not
prescription drugs? Don't we live in a "free market" society?
According to the FDA, it's about safety - they maintain that
they'd be unable to ensure the quality of drugs purchased
outside the U.S. But that's a load of bunk, because the vast
majority of the pills Americans pop every day are made in
factories FAR OUTSIDE our borders (Pfizer alone has
manufacturing facilities in 32 different countries), then
shipped in to be marked up a zillion times and sold to us,
who have no other options. So I ask: If the drug you need
(or that a doctor has TOLD you that you need) is made in
Bangladesh, how is it any SAFER to buy it for $100 in the
U.S. than for 50 bucks in Canada?
I'll tell you what the difference is: A 50% greater profit
for the drug's manufacturer!
So why is the Food and Drug Administration playing "hired
gun" for the drug business? Because the FDA is a government
agency - it cannot exist if the state can't support it.
That's why it needs to ensure drug makers' profits by road-
blocking cheaper foreign drug sales. As long as we're all
forced to buy our drugs for inflated prices here in the U.S,
the government will continue to rake in money from the huge
corporate and sales taxes they levy on the drug industry.
It's nothing but legalized racketeering!
But according to a recent CBS News report, there's a
grassroots revolution here in the U.S. to fight this one-
sided tyranny of profit: The Mayor of Springfield,
Massachusetts struck a deal while in office (he's since been
ousted) with a large Canadian pharmacy to provide his city's
employees with reasonably priced prescription drugs - to the
tune of a projected savings of up to $9 million a year for
that municipality!
Yes, this policy violates U.S. law, but it represents the
first volley in what's sure to be the next major war in the
medical world. How the FDA responds to this heroic defiance
of its unjust policy will surely set the tone for this
brewing conflict. But if it's anything near as over-the-top
as what I'm about to tell you, the future looks pretty
bleak. Keep reading...
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by nakos
