BOSTON — The cities of Boston and Burlington, Vt., and the state of New Hampshire announced Tuesday they will begin buying prescription drugs from Canada, jumping to the forefront of the growing but illegal movement to take advantage of lower prices across the border.
New Hampshire would become the first state to turn to Canada for drugs.
"It’s illegal, but it’s about time we forced the issue," Mayor Thomas Menino said. "Why is the consumer the only one to pay full price for prescription drugs?"
The mayor said Boston will begin buying prescription drugs this summer for about 7,000 city employees and retirees.
New Hampshire Gov. Craig Benson said the state will begin buying medicines for prison inmates and Medicaid recipients as soon as possible.
"It’s time we stood up as a state and did the right thing and allowed citizens to purchase drugs from the most affordable supplier," Benson said.
The Boston and New Hampshire plans were announced a day after President Bush signed the Medicare prescription drug bill, which forbids reimportation of Canadian drugs unless the U.S. Health and Human Services Department certifies their safety. So far, the department has refused to do so.
Under the New Hampshire governor’s plan, the state prison system would save money on nine of 10 drugs most commonly prescribed for inmates. The state also will buy Medicaid drugs from Canada when the Canadian price is lower than the state’s usual share of the Medicaid cost.
The state will also post a Web site within 10 days providing links to Canadian pharmacies where any New Hampshire resident can get a prescription filled. The pharmacies will be approved as safe by the state, Benson said.
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