State's (Minnesota) Web portal to Canadian pharmacies opens | MSP S-T

[Ediacara]

State's Web portal to Canadian pharmacies opens
Patrick Howe, Associated Press

Published January 31, 2004

Hyping with the energy of an Internet entrepreneur, Gov. Tim Pawlenty worked Friday to promote a new state Web site designed to help Minnesotans buy prescription medications from Canada.

The site was set to go live during an afternoon news conference, but Pawlenty and Human Services Commissioner Kevin Goodno started promoting it early in the day during his weekly radio program.

``We're excited about this and we believe we'll be the first state in the nation to actually take some action as opposed to just talking about it,'' Pawlenty said.

More at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune

[Voltaire99]

1. FDA sez: Eeek! You'll die!

A top U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official warned late Friday that Pawlenty is "at least helping people violate the law, and maybe is actually in violation of federal law."

Said Assistant FDA Commissioner William Hubbard: "We are very concerned that a public agency is advising American citizens to go to a foreign country and purchase drugs that are not approved by the FDA, the established body for assuring safety in this country, nor assured of safety by Canadian regulators. In our view, the potential for risk is significant."

Hilarious. Functioning as the pimp for Big Pharma, the FDA merely wants to ensure that you and I pay through the nose to keep Bush-friendly corporate stock prices high.

At bottom, the free trade freakazoids can't stand real free trade.