US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) Introduced Cost Saving Legislation for Prescription Drug Users.

By Carol McCracken  (Post # 2,288)

US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) has introduced the Safe & Affordable Drugs from Canada Act.  If passed, it would allow Americans to import prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.  Under the legislation, imported  prescription drug would have to be purchased from an approved Canadian pharmacy and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.  Drugs imported under this bill would be the same dosage, form and potency as drug in the US. but at a significant savings to US consumers.

“I think it’s crazy that people in Maine can’t buy lower cost prescription drugs from just across the border in Canada.  The fact is Americans have been doing i safely for years and I think it’s time the federal government got out-of-the-way and let consumers take advantage of a lower price alternative,” Pingree said in a press release issued today.

Pingree’s bill, HR 2228, has bipartisan support and is identical to legislation by Senators John McCain and Amy Klobuchar.

P.S.  If you haven’t heard, The Portland Press Herald, has recently announced that S. Donald Sussman, husband of Pingree,  is selling his ownership in the newspaper to a mid-coast Maine  newspaper publisher.  The closing is set for June 1st. Some expect that it won’t be long before it publishes less frequently than currently.  It has already begun to reduce the size of editions. Sussman bought the paper a few years ago to rescue it from shutting down completely.