Claim: Canadians worried by plan to let Americans import drugs.
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: American entry into Canada by land
text: trafficking of controlled substances and narcotics. A number of travelers, including Americans, have been arrested for attempting to smuggle khat, an herbal stimulant from East Africa, into Canada. Smugglers risk substantial fines, a permanent bar from Canada, and imprisonment. It is recommended that prescription medicines be in their original prescription container. Suspicious looking or unidentifiable pills found during a search can be tested for narcotics. Entry into Canada can be delayed until the tests have completed. Moreover, their discovery can lead to being denied entry even if the tests passed. A person or organization may disagree with the CBSA about

title: Online pharmacy
text: from online pharmacies in Canada." According to a Wall Street Journal/Harris Online poll in 2006, 80 percent of Americans favor importing drugs from Canada and other countries. Factors independently associated with importation by U.S. residents are age greater than 45 years, south or west region of residence, Hispanic ethnicity, college education, poor or near poor poverty status, lack of U.S. citizenship, travel to developing countries, lack of health insurance, high family out-of-pocket medical costs, trouble finding a healthcare provider, fair or poor self-reported health status, filling a prescription on the Internet, and using online chat groups to learn about health.

title: Canada–United States relations
text: produced a compromise settlement that permanently ended the problems. In 2003 the American government became concerned when members of the Canadian government announced plans to decriminalize marijuana. David Murray, an assistant to U.S. Drug Czar John P. Walters, said in a CBC interview that, "We would have to respond. We would be forced to respond." However the election of the Conservative Party in early 2006 halted the liberalization of marijuana laws for the foreseeable future. A 2007 joint report by American and Canadian officials on cross-border drug smuggling indicated that, despite their best efforts, "drug trafficking still occurs in significant

title: Canada–United States trade relations
text: of US$10.5 billion cost to businesses in delays and uncertain travel time have affected trade. One ongoing and complex trade issue involves the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada to the United States. Due to the Canadian government's price controls as part of their Single-payer medical system, prices for prescription drugs can be a fraction of the price paid by consumers in the unregulated U.S. market. While laws in the United States have been passed at the national level against such sales, specific state and local governments have passed their own legislation to allow the trade to continue. American

title: Consumer import of prescription drugs
text: in another. People in the United States have easy access to Canada. The quality of medicine in Canada is comparable to that of the United States. Drug prices are often much lower in Canada than in the United States. To save money, some consumers in the United States seek to purchase drugs in Canada. Different people have published different perspectives on this practice. One major on-line supplier, CanadaDrugs.com, has announced it will close on July 13, 2018 as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. Consumers may feel that prescription drugs which are available to multiple countries

title: Crime in Canada
text: penalties tended to favor drug smuggling. In particular, Canada did not criminalize the possession of precursor chemicals for drugs like methamphetamine. After the 1970s, synthetic drugs overtook liquor as the main item smuggled into the US and by the 1990s Canada supplied large amounts of high-grade marijuana, ecstasy and methamphetamine. Quebec mobsters, relocated to Florida, maintained two large pill making operations in Quebec from 1981 to 1986, shipping 13.5 million methaqualone tablets to the US. By the early 2000s, Canada was a net exporter of marijuana to US, although comprised only one-fifth the amount coming from Mexico. A pound valued

title: Reg Alcock
text: Canada's regulatory system in March 2005. He argued that his reforms would reduce delays for patent drug approval and avoid the duplication of existing foreign research without compromising safety standards. Critics of the plan suggested that it could jeopardize Canadian sovereignty and lead to the adoption of American regulatory standards. In February 2004, the "National Post" identified Alcock as a leading cabinet supporter of private-public partnerships. In early 2005, Alcock publicly criticized his government's position against the legalization of marijuana, saying, "If we actually wanted to break the back of organized crime, we would be better off to control it.

title: Health care reforms proposed during the Obama administration
text: room and coming to an agreement, with the government stepping in to set prices if they fail. Congressional proponents argue that drugs manufactured overseas by U.S. companies could be imported and purchased more cheaply in the U.S. Drug manufacturers argue that certain foreign countries have price controls, which they recoup by charging higher prices in the U.S. Whitehouse spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Obama is supportive of importing drugs, provided safety concerns related to the drugs can be addressed. This is because drugs manufactured outside the country may be held to different standards. According to Bloomberg News, drugmakers agreed in

title: Pharmacy
text: to U.S. consumers, who pay one of the world's highest drug prices. In recent years, many consumers in the US and in other countries with high drug costs, have turned to licensed Internet pharmacies in India, Israel and the UK, which often have even lower prices than in Canada. In the United States, there has been a push to legalize importation of medications from Canada and other countries, in order to reduce consumer costs. While in most cases importation of prescription medications violates Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and federal laws, enforcement is generally targeted at international drug suppliers,

title: Visa policy of Canada
text: passport controls, a potential rise in fake asylum claims, the increase of human and illegal drug trafficking, and the involvement of organized crime of some travelers. In addition, the U.S. can potentially tighten border controls which may slow the cross-border trades between the two countries and harm Canada's economy. Opposition parties criticized that the move was "a completely political quid pro quo" in exchange for the Mexican government to lift the ban on Canadian beef since 2003. On 31 October 2016, the Canadian government announced that Canada intends to lift visa requirement for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens on 1 December

title: Yasim Abdi Mohamed
text: McGuinty suggesting that the arrests indicated more attention must be paid to weapons smuggling at the border. American Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms used the arrests of two Canadians importing restricted firearms into Canada as an opportunity to espouse the view that Americans were being unfairly blamed for Canada's gun problems. Dirie and Mohamed both pleaded guilty to charges of possession and importing firearms, and the Crown dropped the charges of possession and importing for the purposes of trafficking. They were sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Nine months into their sentence, both men were charged

title: Canada–United States relations
text: quantities in both directions across the border. The principal illicit substances smuggled across our shared border are MDMA ("Ecstasy"), cocaine, and marijuana." The report indicated that Canada was a major producer of "Ecstasy" and marijuana for the U.S. market, while the U.S. was a transit country for cocaine entering Canada. Presidents and prime ministers typically make formal or informal statements that indicate the diplomatic policy of their administration. Diplomats and journalists at the time—and historians since—dissect the nuances and tone to detect the warmth or coolness of the relationship. Canada's first Prime Minister also said: United States President George W.

title: Gary Doer
text: early 2007, Doer said that Manitoba would not enter a free trade deal signed between Alberta and British Columbia. He instead called for a national trade accord. Doer met with other western Canadian premiers in June 2009 to introduce a plan for the collective purchase of prescription drugs. The premiers indicated that the plan could save taxpayers millions of dollars. In late 2008, the federal Liberal and New Democratic parties announced plans to defeat the Conservatives on a motion of no confidence and create a coalition government. The plan was ultimately unsuccessful, and the Conservatives remained in power. Doer did

title: Tony Clement
text: prohibit the importation, sale and advertising of baby bottles that contain BPA". On September 29, 2007, the CBC reported Clement's new strategy to combat the growing drug abuse problem in Canada. "The party is over" for illicit drug users, he announced, with the new policy aiming towards widespread arrest of drug users, in contrast to the old strategy of targeting dealers. Over 130 physicians and scientists signed a petition condemning the Conservative government's "potentially deadly" misrepresentation of the positive evidence for harm reduction programs. Clement stated that governments in Canada have been sending the wrong message about drug use, and

title: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Quebec
text: our communities. The investigation was initiated after the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) found drugs in offshore containers at the ports of Montréal and Halifax in 2009 and 2010. This investigation shows that the criminal organization involved purchased drugs from Asia, primarily originating in Afghanistan and transported via Pakistan. The hashish was hidden in containers that were shipped by boat and transited through several ports before being routed to Canada. Some of the suspicious containers were seized in Pakistan, while others were intercepted en route to Canada, specifically in Italy and Belgium. On May 10, 2006, the Royal Canadian Mounted

title: Healthcare in Canada
text: a form of cancer, and was not life-threatening. In fact, the mortality rate for patients with a Rathke's cleft cyst is zero percent. Some US citizens travel to Canada for health care related reasons. These reasons frequently involve seeking lower costs. Many US citizens purchase prescription drugs from Canada, either over the Internet or by traveling there to buy them in person, because prescription drug prices in Canada are substantially lower than prescription drug prices in the United States; this cross-border purchasing has been estimated at $1 billion annually. Because medical marijuana is legal in Canada but illegal in most

title: American entry into Canada by land
text: automatic, converted automatics and assault-type weapons. Prohibited firearms are not allowed into Canada. A comprehensive guide on importation of firearms and weapons is published by the CBSA. It is recommended that the Canadian embassy or a consulate, or the Canadian Firearms Program be contacted for detailed information and instructions on temporarily importing firearms in advance of any travel. In all cases, travelers are required to declare to Canadian authorities any firearms and weapons in their possession when entering Canada. If a traveler is denied permission to bring in the firearm, there may be facilities near border crossings where firearms may

title: Canadian International Pharmacy Association
text: by CIPA. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), and five other sponsors have introduced legislation that would allow Americans with a U.S. prescription to order a 90-day supply of medicines from a licensed Canadian pharmacy. Yet according to Prof. Attaran, CIPA works hard to mask the unsavoury activities of its members, meaning that this legislation could create a dangerous situation for patients in America. CIPA has appeared frequently in the news as an advocate for safe online pharmacy practices and the lower prices of drugs available outside of the United States, though not without significant controversy. CIPA standards

title: Gary Doer
text: countries. In 2004, Doer accused federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh of capitulating to American interests by agreeing to increased restrictions on the industry. He later argued that the Canadian government could protect its national drug supply and maintain Manitoba's pharmaceutical sector simply by banning bulk exports. Doer's government introduced a landmark anti-smoking bill in 2004, banning smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces across the province. Supported by all parties, the legislation was the first of its kind in Canada. It did not cover Manitobans working in federal government buildings or living on First Nations territory, as these were

title: Foreign policy of the United States
text: agreements during the previous 12 months. Notably absent from the 2005 list were Afghanistan, the People's Republic of China and Vietnam; Canada was also omitted in spite of evidence that criminal groups there are increasingly involved in the production of MDMA destined for the United States and that large-scale cross-border trafficking of Canadian-grown cannabis continues. The U.S. believes that the Netherlands are successfully countering the production and flow of MDMA to the U.S. Critics from the left cite episodes that undercut leftist governments or showed support for Israel. Others cite human rights abuses and violations of international law. Critics have