The NHF has long supported the right of people to freely purchase drugs from Canada, and from foreign countries. Before leaving for the mid term Congressional election break, the House and Senate agreed to the conference report to accompany H.R. 5441, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007.

Included in the final legislation was language to allow U.S. citizens to personally transport as much as a 90-day supply of prescription drugs purchased from Canadian pharmacies back into the country. The compromise does not allow U.S. residents to legally purchase prescription drugs from Canada, or from other nations, over the Internet or by mail. As of now, there has been little media attention, but much made be made of this “breakthrough”. Despite warnings from the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry about the potential for drugs purchased from foreign pharmacies to be counterfeit, a recent Harris/WSJ poll found that four out of five Americans favor legalizing importation of drugs if they are cheaper. President Bush is expected to sign the legislation.

However, this change in policy is more blue smoke than reality when it comes to a real change to materially benefit Americans. Americans are currently allowed to personally bring a 30-day supply of reimported drugs from Canada, or bring non-FDA approved drugs from foreign countries into the U.S. under the current FDA Personal Use Exemption. This “breakthrough” in FDA regulation, when implemented, will allow only a three-month supply of cheaper, FDA approved, drugs directly purchased from Canadian pharmacies. The FDA is instructed to issue implementing regulations within 90 days of President Bush signing the legislation into law. Time will tell how long it will take the FDA, assuming the President does not veto the bill.

This development is a small positive step for the NHF in its Congressional lobbying efforts. It will open the door for future changes in FDA policies and regulations that currently restrict individual choice. Combined with the ongoing lobbying efforts and potential defeat of mandatory dietary supplement adverse event reporting legislation in this Congress, there are some positive outcomes that the NHF and its members can point to as the leading health freedom group within the community. No other health freedom group is actively lobbying to protect health freedoms in the U.S.