Editorial: A change of heart? Hmmm

Thursday, Oct. 5, 2006 | 7:32 a.m.

In the few weeks remaining before the midterm elections, gasoline prices have been dropping steadily. Many people are wondering if the oil companies are selling gas at cost, at least temporarily, to boost the chances for their Republican allies. The question is intriguing, as is a new government policy to stop confiscating prescription drugs on their way from Canada.

About a year ago the federal government began seizing small packages suspected of containing Canadian prescriptions bound for American consumers. The Bush administration and many Republican members of Congress are friendly to free-spending pharmaceutical industry lobbyists. And the drug makers are livid that many state governments, including Nevada's, have passed laws that defy the federal government and enable their citizens to place small mail orders with Canadian pharmacies.

Canada serves its citizens by regulating the cost of needed prescription drugs, just as here in this country we regulate the price of needed utilities. The result is that Canadian consumers, particularly senior citizens, can save hundreds of dollars a year on their prescriptions over what American consumers pay. Many states, seeking to serve their populations, have contracted with certain Canadian pharmacies after thoroughly checking them out to ensure that their drugs and handling methods are safe.

The contracts enable citizens of those states to order directly from the eligible pharmacies. But the federal government began seizing the orders before they could reach many American consumers. In justifying this action, it borrowed a line from the drug makers, that the safety of the drugs cannot be verified.

Well, effective Monday, the federal government will halt this practice. As we strongly criticized the seizures earlier this year, we welcome this news. But we can't help but wonder if the votes of senior citizens, for now, suddenly became more of a priority than the outreaching hands of drug company lobbyists.