NPR

Florida Wants To Import Medicine From Canada. But How Would That Work?

A new law would let the state make bulk purchases of prescription drugs from Canada. But it still faces hurdles that could keep it from becoming reality.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida's prescription drug importation program into law last week at The Villages, a large retirement community outside Orlando.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill last week that, if federal authorities give it their go-ahead — still a very big if — would allow his state to import prescription drugs from Canada. That makes Florida the third state to pass such a law, joining Vermont and Colorado. More such legislative attempts are in the works.

"There have been 27 different bills proposed across the country this year," says Trish Riley, the executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy. "I think that it's an approach that makes sense to states. It's something they can do now to help their citizens."

The Trump administration has made bringing down the price of prescription drugs a priority, and politicians at every level are looking for ways to make that happen.

Riley says her group didn't.

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