When it comes to blocking the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, pharmacists are a creative bunch. First, they sited safety concerns, but ignored the statistics that show U.S. pharmacies are just as likely to improperly fill prescriptions as Canadian pharmacies.
Then they backed the ridiculous position of the FDA that terrorists were going to attack the United States by somehow lacing prescription drugs from Canada with toxic chemicals. That didn't make any sense, either, since most prescription drugs are already toxic (they are now the third leading cause of death in the United States), meaning that it might be impossible to tell which customers were killed by the drugs vs. which customers were killed by "terrorist" contaminated drugs.
Now the pharmacists have come up with a new reason: jobs. It's the economy, stupid! Pharmacists, who are already overworked and pushing 70-hour weeks in the United States, are apparently scared silly by the idea that their work hours might be cut back to 60 a week. They need job security, you see, and that means forcing customers to buy drugs at monopoly prices in the United States. The way to accomplish that is to oppose free trade and turn ordinary, everyday citizens who buy drugs from Canada into felons. It's classic "Pat Buchanan" protectionism.
It's a smart lobbying tactic, though. If there's anything that moves Americans to action, it's the idea that "jobs will be lost." Candle makers used the same argument to discredit pane glass window manufacturers hundreds of years ago. They realized that windows would let in light, and if homes had light, they wouldn't need as many candles. So the candle makers lobbied to outlaw windows, citing the "safety concerns" of windows that could be smashed and crawled through by thieves wanting to steal stuff. Like candles.
Today's argument about drugs from Canada is just as absurd, but the pharmacists, the FDA, and the U.S. Big Pharma industry seemed dedicated to coming up with yet more creative scare tactics to accomplish their ultimate goal: shutting down free trade between the United States and Canada in order to protect the monopoly profits of U.S. drug companies.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a veteran of the software technology industry, having founded a personalized mass email software product used to deliver email newsletters to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening.
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Tuesday, November 09, 2004
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