Maine Becomes First State to Allow Prescription Drug Importation from Licensed Mail-Order Pharmacies

Due to the very high prices that pharmacies are charging for medications in the United States:

• Tens-of-millions of U.S. Citizens are not taking their needed medication because they cannot afford to purchase them.
• Others are financially strained in order to purchase their necessary medication.

The Passing of Amendment S-241

This new law was passed by the state of Maine with great ease. It won in the Senate 30 – 4 and 107- 37 in House. When this bill was passed, both the Senate and House were missing a few voters. Hopefully Maine is the first of many to assist the more than 50 million in the U.S. unable to afford their prescriptions.

The Beginning of Prescription Drug Importation

Approximately 10 years ago there were certain states that passed legislation that would allow importing medication across state lines only. However, the governments did not advertise the law after it was passed. In the end, it never received much attention and very few individuals ever knew about the legislation.

International Prescription Importation

Concerns of Many 

Most individuals may be weary of this new personal prescription drug importation act. Specific worries concern the ordering of prescriptions from international mail-order pharmacies. There is a sense of safety that one feels when walking into a pharmacy and seeing the pharmacist that is filling one’s prescription. With the fear of scams, some residents will not want to take advantage of this new legislation.

Tools Created to Help 

Luckily, most of the concerns of dealing with international mail-order prescription pharmacies can be settled by the help of websites. There are some sites made specifically to help substantiate whether or not a pharmacy is legitimate. There is one created by Kathleen Sebelius, a previous Kansas Governor. Sebelius created a website for the state of Kansas that gave a list of legitimate pharmacies from across the World. However, there was no use for it. At that time, no states allowed importing internationally, that is, until recently when the state of Maine passed the legalization of personal prescription drug importation.

Similar to that of Kansas’s website, there is another website called eDrugSearch.com. Since 2006 eDrugSearch.com has been helping consumers freely comparing their drug prices and get safe access to their needed medication.  eDrugSearch only lists licensed online and mail-order pharmacies within their database. eDrugSearch.com also allows consumers to rate and review every pharmacy and medication listed within their database – no other website offers this option. It is important to note that eDrugSearch does not make any profit by directing you to any particular licensed online pharmacy. They will not persuade you to any one specific company. It is up to you to decide what is best for you and your family using their search tools, user feedback, and best judgment.

Personal prescription drug importation combined with the eDrugSearch.com price comparison engine, will help American consumers save 40-80% off current U.S. retail drug prices. Ordering prescriptions from another part of the world may seem difficult, but eDrugSearch.com was designed for this purpose to help you “Spend less and Save more”. As this law becomes more actively used by residents of Maine, we are optimistic that other state legislatures will take notice.

About this Angie’s List Expert: Cary Byrd is the president and founder of eDrugSearch.com. Based in San Antonio, eDrugSearch.com is a free cost comparison engine that helps consumers get safe access to affordable medications and advocates licensed online pharmacies as a widely accepted alternative.