Medication is expensive in the United States, no one’s going to debate that. While there certainly are ethical and political issues at play here, ones that it is absolute justifiable to feel a certain kind of way about, I am not a political scientist, so we’re not going to talk about that here. No, what we will point out is that medication is actually expensive everywhere in North and South America. Why is this?
Well, aside from the political issues at play, which again, were not going to discuss here, there’s a practical reason that is quite unavoidable. Pretty much all medications with the exception of a few mundane over-the-counter analgesics like aspirin are manufactured overseas. You have to use the infrastructure where it is, and that’s where the infrastructure for the sort of thing happens to be.
Well, that means you have to import them, and this is an expensive process. There’s a lot of overhead, and a lot of labor in inspections and safety ensuring going on. You want this inspection and insurance of safety, trust me.
This will leave you wondering, though, why it’s cheaper to order from a pharmacy in Canada, considering they also have to import all of their medications. There’s this common belief that, due to their socialized healthcare, medications are just magically cheaper for everyone, and that pharmaceutical companies are hemorrhaging money in such nations.
The truth of the matter is, Canadians aren’t paying much less for their medications than people in the United States, the price is just being applied in a very different way. It’s offset by their taxes, rather than the upfront price points of the medication. This does result in people who really, badly need medical assistance, who have very little money, getting the medications they need. However, on a daily basis, this is just a different way of charging people for an expensive thing.
Is it cheaper for an American to order from a pharmacy in Canada?
There, see? Now you’re thinking. They’re not really paying any less for their medications, but that’s because a large part of the price is written into their tax system. But, you’re in America, and you’re not part of Canada’s tax system, now are you? So, does that mean that the price point of Canadian medications is more legitimate for you?
Yep!
Now, it’s still going to escalate slightly, because you have to pay import taxes and other assorted nonsense, but it’s still going to be considerably less than the price point for medications in American pharmacies.
Is it legal to order from a pharmacy in Canada?
Yes, it is. Actually, it would be a violation of several treaties if the United States didn’t permit you to import goods from other countries, pharmaceuticals included. Of course, certain restrictions do apply, as the medication usually has to be FDA approved, and you may encounter some sticky situations if it’s a controlled substance like a painkiller. However, even in situations with something like a painkiller, exceptions are made, and it can still happen if you have the proper documentation to prove you’re supposed to have this medication.
I’m going to leave you with one last little suggestion, that being that you also shop for generic alternatives to your medication on top of. Generics are much cheaper, and there literally the same exact medication, just was slight cosmetic differences in a different name.
So, don’t hesitate to order from a pharmacy in Canada, take advantage of this loophole and save some money. The economy is going to be weird for probably the rest of this decade, so being smart with money has never been a wiser choice than it is right now.
