Bowing 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.....

By Barbara Basler. October 2006 (via AARP Bulletin)

Since the agency quietly stepped up its crackdown 11 months ago, customs agents seized and destroyed some 40,000 prescription drug packages—many of them en route to older Americans who order their prescriptions from Canada because they are significantly cheaper than the same drugs sold in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security mailed notices to the intended recipients saying that their purchases violated drug importation laws. Although cross-border shipments are illegal, authorities did little to stop the practice until the seizures intensified last November.

The policy prompted a nationwide public outcry, with Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, D, demanding a congressional investigation of the confiscations, and the media, including the September AARP Bulletin, highlighting stories of older Americans who suddenly and without warning lost critical medications.

Now, the practice of seizing these drugs will be stopped, according to an e-mail that Homeland Security sent Monday to congressional staff.

Starting next Monday, federal agents will limit confiscations to counterfeit medicines and narcotics, said a spokesperson for Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

"This is a huge victory," said Sen. Nelson, whose Florida office alone got more than 600 complaints from constituents. "It looks like the government is getting out of the business of harassing these consumers."

The drug industry strongly opposes legalizing the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, arguing that it would undermine the government's ability to assure a safe and secure supply of drugs.

Earlier this month Congress approved a measure that would permit individuals visiting Canada to bring home up to a 90-day supply of prescription medicines for their own use. Sponsors say this change is only the beginning—they plan to push for a more comprehensive measure that would also legalize mail-order purchases.

### Source: AARP Bulletin