Posted At KRNV.com

By: World Now

This fall Canada's health minister plans on proposing legislation to temporarily ban the exportation of bulk prescription drugs.

Ujjall Dosanjh says the effort is designed to protect his country's drug supply. It's not low right now but he is concerned it could drop if the American government passes a federal law legalizing the importation of Canadian drugs.

Dosanjh says he will introduce legislation to the House of Commons this fall, which will ban bulk prescription exports in the event of a shortage or anticipated shortage.

If parliament agrees the ban could take effect sometime next year.

Dosanjh says his nation must take care of Canadian's prescription drugs, and that means curbing Internet drug sales. That's where Nevada comes into play.

During the most recent session, lawmakers passed legislation allowing consumers to buy Canadian drugs on a state-run website.

In July, Nevada pharmacists plan on inspecting Canadian pharmacies, which could mean the website may be up and running this fall. But how long it will last is in question.

Dosanjh says one way of cracking down on Internet sales is by requiring a patient-practitioner relationship for all prescriptions. "We want to build on our existing regulations with the Food and Drug Act to strengthen regulations and ensure there is the requirement of a doctor patient relationship for cross-border drug sales."

That could force Americans to meet with Canadian doctors face-to-face in order to get their prescriptions.

Louis Ling of the Nevada Pharmacy Board says that would effectively kill the state's plan. "If he requires face-to-face meetings this thing is done because no one is going fly to Canada to meet with a doctor."

A key state lawmaker insists Nevada's plan is safe, despite the proposed changes.

Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley says the official talked about limits on bulk exports of drugs, but the new Nevada law that she pushed deals with purchases by individuals.

The health minister also said Canada would ban the bulk exports when supplies were low at home, but Buckley says that even with increasing demands by Americans for Canadian drugs Canadian officials have never indicated their supplies were low.

Buckley also says a legislative proposal to restrict the drug purchases could take up to two years in Canada's Parliament. For now, she adds, Nevada is, "going full steam ahead."

Buckley did not address the issue of patient-practitioner relationships.

Dosanjh says drug exportation has exploded, bringing in 1.6 billion dollars every year, compared to only four to five million five years ago.

Dosanjh says that he was not pressured by the American government to come up with the proposed legislation.