Senate blocks bid to allow drug imports

shadowcast · May 2007

This is the biggest bullshit!!!! The damn drug companies are runnning this fucking country and I am tired of it. Does anyone know a website that I can find who voted nay on this? I want to see if my senator did.

"Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter.

Mr. Vitter couldn't have put it any better.

SuzannePjam · May 2007

I love how Republican senator Judd Gregg says it could be a "terror threat" to allow people to import drugs from Canada. Like terrorists couldn't come up with a more effective way to smuggle WMD's into America than stuffing little pills. I mean, they're worried about little pill bottles when 95% of the shipping containers that come into our ports remain unchecked. Give me a break.

I think that the amendment that you are speaking about above might effectively void the following bill which, I believe, was passed last Thursday.

Senate approves allowing Canadian drugs
Measure will have a tough time clearing full Congress, White House

WASHINGTON - The Senate opened the way Tuesday to let Americans import prescription drugs into the United States from Canada, seeking to ease a regulatory ban on cheaper medicine crossing the border.
The proposal, which was approved 68-32, would create a Canadian loophole on a Food and Drug Administration ban on importing prescription medicine into the United States. It was offered as part of a $31.7 billion Homeland Security Department spending blueprint for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The department's Customs and Border Protection bureau began aggressively seizing Tamiflu, Viagra and other incoming prescription medications at borders in November. Prescription drugs - even those manufactured in the United States - are generally sold at cheaper prices in Canada.
"We should demand that (Customs and Border Protection) focus on the true priority that we face on the war on terror," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La., of efforts to secure U.S. borders. "Stripping small amounts of prescription drugs from the hands of seniors .... that should not be a priority."
Vitter's plan, which was embraced by Democrats, specifically would prohibit Customs and Border Protection from stopping people with doctors' prescriptions for FDA-approved drugs from bringing the medicine into this country from Canada.
Safety concerns
But Republican leaders vociferously opposed the plan for fear, they said, the drugs could be unsafe for consumers - or even present a terror risk.
Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said the proposal was an attempt to push the FDA into reversing itself while "creating a massive hole on our capacity to secure our borders and protect ourselves."
"If I were a creative terrorist, I would say to myself, 'Hey, listen, all I've got to do is produce a can here that says 'Lipitor' on it, make it look like the original Lipitor bottle, which isn't too hard to do, fill it with anthrax," Gregg said.
Lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering drug.
Aides warned that the drug import plan was likely to be stripped out of the legislation - as it has been in past years - whenever it got to a conference of House and Senate lawmakers who will negotiate the final version. The administration also has opposed efforts to loosen the restrictions.
House measures pending
Two House spending bills this year - to fund the Homeland Security and Agriculture departments in 2007 - include the drug importation plan, said Kirstin Brost, spokeswoman for Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.
The House has approved efforts to import drugs in six spending bills over the last seven years, Brost said, but the idea has survived a conference committee only once. That year, 2000, the plan was eventually dropped because it was written in a way that couldn't be carried out, Brost said.
While importing drugs into the United States is illegal, the FDA generally has not stopped small amounts purchased for personal use. Still, the FDA says it cannot guarantee the safety of imported drugs.
Enhanced enforcement
Customs and Border Protection began seizing controlled substances in September 2004, and expanded that operation last November to include non-controlled substances. The Bush administration has opposed efforts to loosen the restrictions.
As of March, Customs officials had seized nearly 13,000 packages of drugs coming into the country, although the medications' origins were not known, according to data provided by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
"This is going to ensure that Americans, especially the frail, elderly, or those with debilitating conditions, are going to be able to at least have a chance of affording the medications that they need," Nelson said.

SuzannePjam · May 2007

freeworld4u&me wrote:

This is the biggest bullshit!!!! The damn drug companies are runnning this fucking country and I am tired of it. Does anyone know a website that I can find who voted nay on this? I want to see if my senator did.

"Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter.

Mr. Vitter couldn't have put it any better.

Here's the article about your post.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18530709/

I don't know who voted what way, but I do know the bill to import drugs was killed by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. because he added an amendment that required any imported drugs to be certified by U.S. officials and the food and drug administration, which they have said many times they could not do. (which Cochran knew, of course.)
President Bush has repeatedly said that if a bill passed in the senate allowing imports of prescription drugs he would veto it anyway. He doesn't feel it's "safe" and could possibly be a terror threat. OY!

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

freeworld4u&me wrote:

This is the biggest bullshit!!!! The damn drug companies are runnning this fucking country and I am tired of it. Does anyone know a website that I can find who voted nay on this? I want to see if my senator did.

"Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter.

Mr. Vitter couldn't have put it any better.

If people started eating real food and exercising...we'd all be rich. The fast food companies are comitting mass murder by selling cancer. Same as cigarette companies. These are the real drug dealers.

Get yourself in shape and eat a raw whole food diet and you won't get sick or need med's in the first place.

They have a fucking pill for everything these days and 90% of the population are too stupid and lazy to know any better... There's 41 grams of sugar in a single can of coke and pepsi. That's practically a small bowl of sugar... This should be illegal. One can of pop shuts down your immune system for hours... same with alcohol.

Without an immune system you''re essentially dead meat just waiting to happen.

Got a headache? drink water...you're dehydrated.

Depressed? low sex drive? can't get it up?...go for a run and clean out your pipes. Honestly how fucking hopeless are some people that they can't even run, and would trust some corporate asshole to make a toxic cocktail with a host of side effects?

It's a sick, lazy pill popping nation...

my apologies as this is harsh...but I don't like having to drink the prozac etc...etc... from your (*edit* peoples) piss in my tap water because you (they) can't make the effort...

jeffbr · May 2007

Raw food diets come with their own issues.

I have no problem with science and chemistry correcting imbalances, relieving pain, etc... I do have a problem with the FDA, the cost of drugs, and the restrictions this country puts on drug availability. More evidence of an overbearing nanny state.

floyd1975 · May 2007

SuzannePjam wrote:

Here's the article about your post.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18530709/

I don't know who voted what way, but I do know the bill to import drugs was killed by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. because he added an amendment that required any imported drugs to be certified by U.S. officials and the food and drug administration, which they have said many times they could not do. (which Cochran knew, of course.)
President Bush has repeatedly said that if a bill passed in the senate allowing imports of prescription drugs he would veto it anyway. He doesn't feel it's "safe" and could possibly be a terror threat. OY!

It looks like a bipartisan effort opposing you. Here are the votes on the Cochran Amendment:

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---49
Alexander (R-TN)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thomas (R-WY)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

NAYs ---40
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cardin (D-MD)
Casey (D-PA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Craig (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Grassley (R-IA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lott (R-MS)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 11
Allard (R-CO)
Biden (D-DE)
Brownback (R-KS)
Dodd (D-CT)
Ensign (R-NV)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnson (D-SD)
McCain (R-AZ)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Tester (D-MT)

It looks like more Democrats than you would have liked to let others believe. Not everything is the fault of Republicans alone.

jeffbr · May 2007

zstillings wrote:

It looks like more Democrats than you would have liked to let others believe. Not everything is the fault of Republicans alone.

Thanks for that list. It is always laughable when people make some of these institutional issues partisan. This has been a problem for decades, through Republican and Democrat administrations and Republican and Democrat congresses. Neither party is particularly concerned with liberty.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

jeffbr wrote:

Raw food diets come with their own issues.

I have no problem with science and chemistry correcting imbalances, relieving pain, etc... I do have a problem with the FDA, the cost of drugs, and the restrictions this country puts on drug availability. More evidence of an overbearing nanny state.

I take it you're a quick fix type person and don't exercise. There's only one direction that will take you.

Purely raw food diets have some controversy but it is not proven. However it's nothing near the big corp diet of sugar, pills, and fat. This brings with it a host of mental health complications as well.

Getting as close as possible to organic raw whole food is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Eating smart and exercising is pretty much the key. If you need drugs to feel good or normal then your body is damaged and needs to heal properly.

Essentially your body is telling you you're screwing it up.

not rocket science..

.

jeffbr · May 2007

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

I take it you're a quick fix type person and don't exercise. There's only one direction that will take you.

I am on no medication, and don't use drugs other than alcohol and caffeine. I am carrying a few extra pounds, but do exercise.

Your thinking would have us succumbing to smallpox, malaria, tuberculosis, etc... We have made many inroads in the eradication of disease through chemistry. I think that is a great thing. Your caveman ways are a couple of millenia in the past.

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

Purely raw food diets have some controversy but it is not proven. However it's nothing near the big corp diet of sugar, pills, and fat. This brings with it a host of mental health complications as well.

I have no desire to eat the 20 pounds of raw fruit and veggies daily that it would take to get sufficient caloric intake. I am also a big fan of fine dining, and gourmet cooking, so my joy in life is directly at odds with a raw diet. Even if it were proven to be the most healthy thing one could possibly do (and that is far from being proven), I would never give up butter, cream, meat and other pleasures.

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

Getting as close as possible to organic raw whole food is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Eating smart and exercising is pretty much the key. If you need drugs to feel good or normal then your body is damaged and needs to heal properly.

Essentially your body is telling you you're screwing it up.

not rocket science..

.

Don't you a smoke weed? How is puffing any different than dropping prozac to feel better?

I agree that eating smartly and exercising is the best thing one can do. I disagree that restricting diet to exclusively raw food is the only way to get there, and have no interest in doing so anyway.

Rushlimbo · May 2007

freeworld4u&me wrote:

This is the biggest bullshit!!!! The damn drug companies are runnning this fucking country and I am tired of it. Does anyone know a website that I can find who voted nay on this? I want to see if my senator did.

"Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter.

Mr. Vitter couldn't have put it any better.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070506/ap_on_he_me/panama_tainted_medicine;_ylt=AoQP5CXwD.CfNCHtZCImZlDVJRIF

A Chinese factory was the source of a counterfeit chemical that killed dozens of people in Panama after it was used in human medications, a newspaper reported.

The New York Times reported in its Sunday editions that records and interviews revealed the poison was first sold by Chinese companies that exported it as 99.5 percent pure glycerin. The source of the chemical was then obscured as middlemen in Spain and Panama removed the names of their suppliers from shipping documents — a practice used by distributors to ensure continued business.

Panama's government health agency used the substance to produce medicines, not realizing that it was diethylene glycol, a chemical cousin of antifreeze that can cause kidney and neurological damage if ingested.

The Times said investigators in four countries identified Taixing Glycerine Factory as the maker of the poison. That company's certificate of analysis said the shipment was 99.5 percent pure, the Times reported.

The sale of the syrup was brokered by a unit of a state-owned business in Beijing, the article said. From there, it went to a distributor in Barcelona, Spain, and on to a dealer in Panama.

No one in China has been charged with causing the Panamanian deaths. An unidentified Chinese drug official told the Times that investigators tested the Taixing Glycerine Factory's product and found it contained no glycerine. But a spokeswoman for the drug agency said the company had not broken any laws.

Wan Qigang, the legal representative for the factory, told the Times last year that the company made only industrial-grade glycerin. But more recently it has been advertising 99.5 percent pure glycerine on the Internet, the Times said. Wan declined to answer further questions.

Concerns about the safety of imports from China rose in the U.S. after pet food containing a Chinese ingredient was found to be tainted with another industrial chemical, melamine. The poison has killed or sickened an unknown number of dogs and cats and led to the recall of more than 100 brands of pet food.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

jeffbr wrote:

I am on no medication, and don't use drugs other than alcohol and caffeine. I am carrying a few extra pounds, but do exercise.

Your thinking would have us succumbing to smallpox, malaria, tuberculosis, etc... We have made many inroads in the eradication of disease through chemistry. I think that is a great thing. Your caveman ways are a couple of millenia in the past.

I have no desire to eat the 20 pounds of raw fruit and veggies daily that it would take to get sufficient caloric intake. I am also a big fan of fine dining, and gourmet cooking, so my joy in life is directly at odds with a raw diet. Even if it were proven to be the most healthy thing one could possibly do (and that is far from being proven), I would never give up butter, cream, meat and other pleasures.

Don't you a smoke weed? How is puffing any different than dropping prozac to feel better?

I agree that eating smartly and exercising is the best thing one can do. I disagree that restricting diet to exclusively raw food is the only way to get there, and have no interest in doing so anyway.

I cook with THC sometimes..however it's been a couple months. I don't smoke and rarely ever drink ...once a month if that.

What I know in regards is to health is hardly uneducated or naive. I would say the exact opposite. The diet practices sprung from 60's which everyone eats today is caveman mentality imo..

Cooking kills food. Eating food that is as alive and natural as possible is crucial.

Needing medication is somewhat of a backwards approach. A healthy populous won't allow disease to flourish or take hold...proliferate etc... in the first place. But it's gone way beyond that. There's now a pill for everything.

It's essentially idiotic and irresponsible in North America. Way beyond infectious disease prevention....

.

angelica · May 2007

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

I cook with THC sometimes..however it's been a couple months. I don't smoke and rarely ever drink ...once a month if that.

What I know in regards is to health is hardly uneducated or naive. I would say the exact opposite. The diet practices sprung from 60's which everyone eats today is caveman mentality imo..

Cooking kills food. Eating food that is as alive and natural as possible is crucial.

Needing medication is somewhat of a backwards approach. A healthy populous won't allow disease to flourish or take hold...proliferate etc... in the first place. But it's gone way beyond that. There's now a pill for everything.

It's essentially idiotic and irresponsible in North America. Way beyond infectious disease prevention....

.

Awesome Roland. And I've read in numerous sources that those who eat diets predominantly based on raw-water based foods are those who have the longest life span in the world. Such places throw in some fish, and avoid dense foods, which strain the body to process. Whereas we in North America stuff ourselves with dense foods that take ridiculous amounts of energy to process. Digestion takes more energy for our bodies than any other activity we do! By overstressing our digestion, we cause foods to not be digested properly which can cause toxicity, and we prevent our immune systems from having the precious energy needed to prevent illness. We in the west are not only behind, but we are backwards in our approach to health by treating disease, rather than promoting vibrant, revitalizing health. And we experience the huge costs for our lack of understanding, on many levels, from dis-ease and death to soaring health costs, etc.

El_Kabong · May 2007

zstillings wrote:

Not Voting - 11
Allard (R-CO)
Biden (D-DE)
Brownback (R-KS)
Dodd (D-CT)
Ensign (R-NV)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnson (D-SD)
McCain (R-AZ)

Obama (D-IL)

Reed (D-RI)
Tester (D-MT)

i wonder why these ppl didn't vote??

jeffbr · May 2007

El_Kabong wrote:

i wonder why these ppl didn't vote??

Great question. Half of them are probably spending too much time worrying about a future job at the expense of their current job. The others were probably on lobbiest-funded golf trips.

jeffbr · May 2007

angelica wrote:

And I've read in numerous sources that those who eat diets predominantly based on raw-water based foods are those who have the longest life span in the world.

I'm more interested in quality rather than quantity. Living to 100 doesn't interest me in the least. I'm going to enjoy the relatively short time I'm here. If someone enjoys living life eating raw carrots, that's great! I'll toast them with my glass of Bordeaux and dig into my chateaubriand. I am a big sushi fan, though. So I get my share of raw food on a regular basis without being religious about it.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

angelica wrote:

Awesome Roland. And I've read in numerous sources that those who eat diets predominantly based on raw-water based foods are those who have the longest life span in the world. Such places throw in some fish, and avoid dense foods, which strain the body to process. Whereas we in North America stuff ourselves with dense foods that take ridiculous amounts of energy to process. Digestion takes more energy for our bodies than any other activity we do! By overstressing our digestion, we cause foods to not be digested properly which can cause toxicity, and we prevent our immune systems from having the precious energy needed to prevent illness. We in the west are not only behind, but we are backwards in our approach to health by treating disease, rather than promoting vibrant, revitalizing health. And we experience the huge costs for our lack of understanding, on many levels, from dis-ease and death to soaring health costs, etc.

That's how I see it. The body can't process more than 400-500 calories at a time anyways, so anything over that amount goes straight to fat storage. 5 - 6 small meals throughout the day is the ideal (5 for women 6 for men).

My vice is the protein thing, so I supplement a fair amount of whey, lightly cooked fish or shrimp using slow temperatures. Soy milk tastes pretty good to me, and those 6 bean blends with some pasta sauce and a little garlic is quite nice also. Eliminating all cooking is fairly hard. I just remember to always to cook lightly never harsh with high heat. Steam instead of boil. I think it's about retraining the mind and body back to what is natural. And unplug that microwave. Cancer has been directly related to dietary habits so that's a biggie for me.

There's also a life force body/energy thing of consuming natural whole food which appeals to me.

Thought I would add...this is something I've come across just recently. I need to do some more reading about it though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_diet

.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

jeffbr wrote:

I'm more interested in quality rather than quantity. Living to 100 doesn't interest me in the least. I'm going to enjoy the relatively short time I'm here. If someone enjoys living life eating raw carrots, that's great! I'll toast them with my glass of Bordeaux and dig into my chateaubriand. I am a big sushi fan, though. So I get my share of raw food on a regular basis without being religious about it.

I suppose it depends on what you consider quality.

.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

anyhow...I can't sleep..my only appt tomorrow is a 1:30pm. I going to drive up to Lake Simcoe area look at some computers for a friend...casual cash..

My philosophy in a nutshell:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/3541/the_okinawa_diet_the_key_to_longevity.html

"mostly plant based diet that includes fish and soy foods with a variety of vegetables and a moderate amounts of good fats."

"Studies show that younger Okinawans are eating more “American-like” and are beginning to experience the same health problems as Americans."

“if Americans copied the islands diet, doctors say we might be able to shut down 80 percent of our coronary units.” Can you imagine that?? The bottom line is this: a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and maybe a little tofu, among other healthy foods, and a diet low in processed foods and fat can not only lead to a long life, but a long healthy life."

.

Jeanie · May 2007

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

If people started eating real food and exercising...we'd all be rich. The fast food companies are comitting mass murder by selling cancer. Same as cigarette companies. These are the real drug dealers.

Get yourself in shape and eat a raw whole food diet and you won't get sick or need med's in the first place.

They have a fucking pill for everything these days and 90% of the population are too stupid and lazy to know any better... There's 41 grams of sugar in a single can of coke and pepsi. That's practically a small bowl of sugar... This should be illegal. One can of pop shuts down your immune system for hours... same with alcohol.

Without an immune system you''re essentially dead meat just waiting to happen.

Got a headache? drink water...you're dehydrated.

Depressed? low sex drive? can't get it up?...go for a run and clean out your pipes. Honestly how fucking hopeless are some people that they can't even run, and would trust some corporate asshole to make a toxic cocktail with a host of side effects?

It's a sick, lazy pill popping nation...

my apologies as this is harsh...but I don't like having to drink the prozac etc...etc... from your (*edit* peoples) piss in my tap water because you (they) can't make the effort...

Um Roland, I'm sorry, but I disagree with some of what you are saying here. How on earth do you expect a raw whole foods diet to have any impact at all on neurological conditions or some auto immune diseases? There's genetic disorders, cancers, all kinds of serious illnesses that cannot be cured by diet and exercise alone. There's nothing wrong with doing all in your power to live a healthy life but the fact remains that many of the medications available to people are improving their quality of life and in some cases extending their lives. Not that everyone wants to live a long life anyway. I'm certainly no fan of pharmaceutical companies, but the fact remains that many people are living longer, better lives now because of medications.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · May 2007

Jeanie wrote:

Um Roland, I'm sorry, but I disagree with some of what you are saying here. How on earth do you expect a raw whole foods diet to have any impact at all on neurological conditions or some auto immune diseases? There's genetic disorders, cancers, all kinds of serious illnesses that cannot be cured by diet and exercise alone. There's nothing wrong with doing all in your power to live a healthy life but the fact remains that many of the medications available to people are improving their quality of life and in some cases extending their lives. Not that everyone wants to live a long life anyway. I'm certainly no fan of pharmaceutical companies, but the fact remains that many people are living longer, better lives now because of medications.

you're cart before the horse... these diseases develop from dietary circumstances and are passed down genetically. What your grandmother ate even determines what your reality is like heath wise.

It's all cause and effect stemming from energy in...

Jeanie · May 2007

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

you're cart before the horse... these diseases develop from dietary circumstances and are passed down genetically. What your grandmother ate even determines what your reality is like heath wise.

It's all cause and effect stemming from energy in...

Ok but even supposing that is correct. I'm not saying it is or it isn't. There's not a whole lot you can do about it. I mean I have no control over what my granny ate and I also know that if dietary circumstances alone could cure all these diseases then no one in the western world would be diseased.
Do you really believe that people with serious diseases would jeopardize their future happiness by not following a whole foods diet if it was proven to cure them? People take the pharmaceutical option because the research and statistics show them what the mostly likely potential outcome will be for their disease progression. And that is because results are proven under scientific trial. If a whole foods diet could show the same kind of statistics and outcomes do you really believe that doctors would withold this information from their patients? Or that patients wouldn't be ditching their meds for dietary changes?

Senate blocks bid to allow drug imports

Comments

Categories