Note to US Drug Czar John Walters from a Canadian

[Maple]

SNIP...."WASHINGTON - The White House's drug czar lashed out yesterday at Jean Chrétien for relaxing marijuana laws and said Canadians are "ashamed" at the Prime Minister's recent jokes about smoking pot when he retires."

SNIP...."Canada is "the one place in the hemisphere where things are going the wrong rapidly," he added. "It's the only country in this hemisphere that's become a major drug producer instead of reducing their drug production."

Martin Cauchon, the Justice Minister, who is shepherding the federal government's marijuana legislation through the House of Commons, responded that Mr. Walters should "look in his own backyard" before criticizing Mr. Chrétien.

"There are over 10 states that have in place what we call alternative penalties, so you know, if it is not correct to move in that direction, maybe he should spend some time talking to his own states," Mr. Cauchon said."


http://www.nationalpost.com/utilities/story.html?id=DA5DE870-0D31-47F0-9041-F8622EAEF154


On the contrary Mr Walters, I am delighted with our PM, and I can't imagine how you think you know what us Canucks feel about it.

[chiburb]

1. Isn't Mary Jane the largest or second largest...

Cash crop in California and Kentucky?

[Darth_Kitten]

2. Yeah....

so THERE, Mr.High Falooting Drug Czar. :evilgrin:

[thebigidea]

3. what an idiot

The arrogance! Not only do the GOP claim to know how Americans feel about any given topic at any given time, they now have the power to take the Canadian pulse... without wires!

Walters, there may not actually be a Hell, but it should be invented for the likes of you!

[htuttle]

4. You misunderstand 'Bush Speak'

When they tell you 'what Americans think' or 'what Canadians think', they aren't trying to describe reality. They are telling Americans what they SHOULD think. Apparently they think this will work with Canadians as well (it obviously won't).

[glarius]

5. Between the marijuana law and our trading with Cuba

George and the boys are REALLY PISSED OFF with us....Boy I hope the 2004 election brings a "change of regime"!!!!

[Spazito]

6. What an idiot this man is!

Ashamed???? Candians are ashamed of Chretien??? Yeah, right, that is why he was voted back as PM 5 times! Hopefully Bush will NEVER get either elected or re-selected.

[Not a robought]

7. Up yours Walters

Hopefully that should clarify how we really feel.

If you want to see where things are going really wrong, check in with your friend Rush, I'm sure he knows where to get the best stuff.

Thanks for your concern but we can take care of our own without your interference. By the way, you can recall your asshole ambassador Celucci, we won't miss him. Any day now would be just fine.

[qwertyMike]

8. Halifax N.S.

Amsterdam of the North.
We smoke in church.

Jean Chretien was actually ELECTED to office (5 times)
Up yours Mr. Czar

[Maple]

9. I don't usually

get this annoyed over a comment, but I am very weary, as a Canadian, of being constantly lectured, then punished by trade tariffs, and asked for help all at the same time.

[ironflange]

11. Well put

Very well put.

[Padraig18]

10. Note to US Drug Czar John Walters from an American

Mind your own fucking business and SHUT THE FUCK UP, you Republican pukewad!

[RandomUser]

12. Canada & prescription drugs

I'm not so concerned about the illegal drugs as I am about the more legitimate problem of prescription drugs. Many Americans cross the border to buy prescription drugs from Canada because of the the cheaper prices.

The disparity of prescription drug prices in the U.S. compared to Canada and Europe is huge. The pharmaceutical companies say this is to recoup drug development costs. Because EU and Canada have strict laws that cap drug prices, the companies need to raise American prices in order to fund the research. The critics say this is just a facade, because the drug companies are making obscene profits. The drug companies say that these profits are the only reason new drugs are being developed because of the huge R&D costs. They point to the fact that Canada has not produced a single new drug in over several decades as a result of the Canadian drug price caps.

One side says the drug prices are high because of greedy companies.

One side says the drug prices are high because we're paying for the Europeans and Canadians. They're getting a free ride because the R&D costs are passed onto U.S. consumers instead of spread around, because of the pricing restrictions in other countries. The alternative being pricing restrictions in the US as well and a general slowdown in future R&D.

I believe the answer is probably somewhere in between, and we'll find out soon. Any new healthcare reform plan will tackle the issue of drug price disparity between regions, especially with internet ordering and international shipping. Thus the result of healthcare reform -- more specifically prescription drug research and pricing reform -- will result in many possibilities.

First, any serious prescription drug reform will focus on reducing prices in America. Then, depending on whose scenario you believe, the drug companies or their critics, one of these possibilities will occur:

Canadian and EU prices will not increase
1) The profits margins of companies will go down, with no appreciable decrease in R&D.
2) The profits margine of companies will go down, resulting in less and less money being put into R&D for new drugs because the profit margins are less attractive for investors considering the high risk involved in finding new drugs. New drug discovery will decline as it has in Canada.

Canadian and EU prices will increase
1) The prescription drug prices globally will start to equilibrate -- U.S. prices will go down, Canadian and EU prices will go up, as the R&D costs are spread globally instead of absorbed by Americans.


Whatever happens, things will change. Either the companies are right, and Canada and the EU are getting a free ride paid by Americans, or the critics are right and drug companies are too greedy and don't need high profit margins to attract investors to put money into high risk R&D.

[glarius]

13. I suspect the truth is similar to what is happening with your HMOs.

Their main concern is huge profits....Whenever there is a push in the U.S.A. for universal health care, you are fed all kinds of LIES about how Canadians are dying because of lack of treatment, the government chooses their doctors for them etc....All of this is false...We choose our own doctors (my hubby and I each have different ones) and we are quite satisfied with our care. We do not have perfection, but polls show that overwhelmingly Canadians want to keep our universal health care....I would think the Drug Companie are pulling the same sort of scare tactics.

[RandomUser]

17. I think it's a bit more complex

Do you know if their claim that Canada has not developed a new drug in the last 20yrs is correct? I don't think I've come across anyone who has disputed this, but I may be in error.

They are indeed using stupid scare tactics like the "safety" concerns. But at the same time, if it's true that Canadian companies have not developed a new drug in the last 20yrs, that's means there some slight truth here, probably not much, but some.

Personally, I think there's truth on both sides. I suspect a larger part of the R&D costs are passed on to U.S. consumers. Nothing as drastic as 100% of the costs, but probably not evenly spread either. At the same time, I suspect the pricing disparity created by this uneven distribution of cost is exacerbated by greed. They've taken any R&D based pricing disparities and amplified it with an unnecessary mark-up to get obscene profits.

To be fair, some companies, like Pfizer, are advocates of universal healthcare and selective(not comprehensive) drug pricing reform.

Regardless, time will tell. If a serious and comprehensive prescription drug pricing reform is enacted that lowers U.S. drug prices significantly, keep your eyes on two things -- the price levels of drugs in Canada and the EU, and the rate of new drug discoveries. If the Canadian/EU prices rise, or the rate of drug discovery falls, we'll know the companies were right. If the prices and rate remain unchanged, then we'll know they were wrong. We'll be able to tell who's lying from the hard data.

(P.S. I really would like to know if Canadian companies have failed to develop a single new drug in the last 20 years. If anyone has information, I would appreciate it. Thanks.)

[Maple]

14. There is also the unsubtle

campaigning against this saying that Canadian drugs could be 'dangerous'...when they are the very same drugs, only cheaper.

[RandomUser]

15. I agree

The "safety" argument is nothing more than a scare tactic. But the economic and R&D argument might have some substance. It may not have a lot, but I suspect there is some. We'll soon see the degree of how much it has when new drug reform laws are passed. Watch for the price levels in EU and Canada, and watch the rate of new drug discovery. If there's a lie, it'll soon be exposed.

[Maple]

16. I doubt it

There is a lot of money involved here, truth is quite another matter.

[RandomUser]

20. Do you know

if the claim that Canadian companies have not developed a single new drug in the last 20 years is true or not? Not bashing, just really interested in the answer. This was part of their economic incentives argument. And if it's false, then it proves they were lying. But I haven't come across anyone disputing this claim thus far.

[Padraig18]

19. The 'safety issue' is a canard

Common sense tells us that; the street of toronto and Ottowa are not littered with the corpses of Candains poisoned by unsafe pharmaceuticlas. :P

[RandomUser]

21. And furthermore

the nondomestic suppliers to be allowed to import drugs to the U.S. must be those already compliant with FDA operation guidelines. This safety issue is indeed bunk. But it's the economic incentives and R&D issue I'm more concerned about.

[glarius]

22. I actually don't know the answer to your question but perhaps the

drugs which are discovered or developed by Canadians are just lumped in with American....For instance are you aware that the discovery of insulin which is the life-saver for diabetics around the world was discovered in Canada by Drs. Banting and Best? I would bet most Americans and perhaps other countries assume it's an American accomplishment....There are other similar examples....I don't really know, but it doesn't seem realistic to me that no new drugs were developed here in 20 years....:shrug:

[MrPrax]

18. This guy is so stupid...

One thing is that poll after poll show overwhelming support for decriminalization in Canada..have for years

The dumb part is the lecturing...some Canadians might have reservations on this or that, but one thing they are unified on is 'loathing' of lectures from Americans...on this or THAT.

That is why it is so stupid...just makes Canadians get angry...worst sin a Canadian can make is agreeing with the US...

Jeez...after 130 yrs, Americans still know nothing about Canada...