ed reports show that Americans save hundreds of dollars on prescriptions obtained in that way.
The hard truth is that importation of drugs from Canada is illegal. Despite that, the FDA's enforcement efforts have not targeted individual consumers who trade with Canadian pharmacies either in person or via mail order and the Internet (Barry, 2003). Nevertheless, controversy surrounds importation of drugs from Canada because institutions, some of them public entities, have taken a cue from individuals' behavior. State officials in Illinois, California, Minnesota, and Massachusetts have either investigated importation or actively engaged in it, "in open defiance of the FDA" (New York Times, 2003).
The lines of controversy appear to be drawn around money and public health, with opposing advocates stressing one or the other. American pharmaceutical manufacturers and advocates strongly oppose permitting importation of prescription drugs, and they have an important ally in the FDA. Opponents of importation cite the risk
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