WASHINGTON  -  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today offered an amendment to the FY 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Act to prevent U.S. Customs and Border Security agents from seizing legal prescription drugs which Americans transport across the U.S. border.  The amendment was adopted by voice vote this morning and becomes part of the bill.

 

“In effect, this amendment would allow Americans to continue to shop for costly prescription drugs in Canada, where they can purchase their supplies for a much lower price,” Emerson said.  “The high cost of medications in the U.S. forces many American senior citizens to travel to Canada to fill their prescriptions.  In many cases, it is a choice between buying their pills in Canada or buying none at all.  Our government should not compound this problem by seizing what medications Americans can afford to buy.”

 

The Emerson amendment would allow the transport of a legal, personal supply of prescription medicine over the border -- NOT the transport of illegal prescription drugs into the country.  Emerson is a longtime supporter of reducing barriers between Americans and their medicines, which can be sold for a fraction of the cost in foreign countries for the exact same product.

 

“This fight is important, because Americans are the world’s best customers of prescription medications, yet we pay the highest prices.  When the only affordable public supply of live-saving medication is in a foreign country and when we can vouch for the fact that these medicines are exactly the same, we cannot cut the American people off from this resource,” Emerson said.