| Holding
up a bottle of medicine he purchased in France, State Rep. Tom
Burch said it was time to give Kentuckians a choice in the way
they buy prescription drugs.
As the Kentucky House of Representatives addressed a bill last
week that would order the state to seek federal permission to
import drugs from other countries, Burch said the same drug he
purchased in France would cost 100 times more in a typical Kentucky
pharmacy.
Burch, D-Jefferson, said the proposal was a matter of choice that
could save families hundreds of dollars a year.
“We want drugs that are good drugs, safe drugs,” Burch
said. “... When we have people begging for help, there is
something wrong.”
The practice is becoming more common with 23 other states passing
similar legislation, Burch said.
Locally, however, Owenton pharmacists say that finding a way to
force drug manufacturers to sell their products at the same price
both at home and abroad might be a better way to get a handle
on the rising costs of prescriptions.
“We need to tell them that they can’t sell to other
countries cheaper than they can sell to us,” said Todd Toole,
pharmacist at Morgan & Thomas.
Bob Cull, pharmacist at North Park agreed.
“I don’t understand why they sell a product for $100
a bottle here and $70 in Canada,” Cull said. “It seems
like they’re making the U.S. pay for all research and development
of prescription drugs.
During comments on the House floor, Rep. Jim Gooch Jr., D-Webster,
said the high cost of medicine is a concern, but there are other
remedies, including tort reform, cutting back on pharmaceutical
advertising and patent changes, which could lower the cost of
prescriptions.
Because the decision concerning which drugs could be imported
would be left up to the governor and the secretary of the Cabinet
of Health and Human Services, Gooch said the bill doesn’t
do enough to help consumers.
“This is feel-good legislation,” Gooch said. “
... This is just so we can go back to our constituents and say
we are doing something (to lower the cost of drugs).”
Opponents of the bill also contend that some drugs imported from
other countries do not have to go through the same kind of testing
required by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Rep. Mary Lou Marizan, D-Jefferson, said although the bill isn’t
a cure for high-drug prices, it is “a first step.”
Citing deaths and health problems relating to the use of the painkiller
Vioxx and the diet drug Phen-Phen, Marizan pointed out that there
is a risk with almost any drug, regardless of its country of origin.
Indicating he had returned an unsolicited campaign contribution
from the pharmaceutical company Merck, Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Jefferson,
urged other lawmakers to support the bill and not be swayed by
outside influences.
“It’s time to vote on the side of Kentucky families
and support this bill,” Wayne said.
But for the local pharmacists, the move is more show than substance.
“This is all politics,” Toole said.
“It could bring the costs down,” Cull added. “But
the FDA still has the ultimate say. We can pass all the laws we
want, but until the FDA changes them on the federal level, there’s
not a lot we can do.”
Despite some tough talk, the measure passed 58-35 and moves on
to the Senate for consideration.
••••••••
A House of Representatives committee is looking for ways to fight
the state’s methamphetamine problem.
House Bill 176, which would require companies to add a dye to
anhydrous ammonia, is aimed at helping combat the problems of
fertilizer theft and meth production. When dye is added to anhydrous
ammonia, it becomes useless to drug cooks.
The bill has been criticized by some farm businessmen because
of the added burden and cost it would impose. Detractors are also
concerned that the dye may not have the desired effect of curbing
meth production.
••••••••
Supporters of a bill that would allow the posting of historical
documents in state and local government buildings say they are
working to reflect the desires of their constituents.
Thursday, the House, on a vote of 91-3, approved a bill that would
allow religious documents such as the Ten Commandments and other
historical documents to be displayed in government buildings.
The measure also requires the Legislative Research Commission
to post the national motto — “In God We Trust”
— on the wall in the House of Representatives.
The bill now goes before the Senate for consideration.
The proposal created some contentious debate on the floor of the
House, which has faced similar proposals before.
Rep. Tom Riner, D-Jefferson, said the legislation coincides with
the 50th anniversary of the national motto adoption.
“We are combating the slow erosion (of Christian values),”
Riner told the House. “We must overcome the censorship that
removes God from American history”
Opponents of the bill are concerned about political posturing
and protecting the rights of non-Christians.
“Let's be truthful with ourselves, friends. That's all this
bill is about,” State Rep. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, said.
“We cannot prove how godly we are by votes ... we have enough
real things to fight about.”
••••••••
The Kentucky General Assembly is working quickly to make coal
mining a safer profession.
Thursday, a bill designed to cut back on the number of mining
accidents unanimously swept through the House of Representatives.
Bruce Yonts, D-Greenville, the lead sponsor of the bill, said
it address four important issues including tougher inspections,
emergency caches of air, accident reporting and tracking miners
while underground.
Kathy Webb, the representative from Grayson and a former coal
miner, praised the effort in getting the bill to the floor of
the House so quickly.
“This is good, common sense legislation,” Webb said.
“(Everyone) can be assured that we are putting our best
foot forward.”
According to Rep. Royce Adams, the bill directs the underground
mine operator to notify the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing
of a mine accident within 15 minutes, creates a toll-free telephone
number to be used as a “hotline” for reporting accidents,
and establishes a Mine Equipment Review Panel to recommend the
best available wireless tracking and communications devices which
will be required for underground miners.
The bill also requires additional caches of self-contained self-rescuer
devices throughout the mine and better lighting and signage; increases
mine inspections from two to four a year at each mine; and includes
a “bad actor” section that fines repeat violators
who put miners in harm's way.
Adams said in his weekly column that other bills to strengthen
mine safety, including a bill requiring mandatory drug testing,
are being prepared.
The unanimous passage of the bill was received with applause from
lawmakers and visitors.
The measure now goes to the Senate.
Gov. Ernie Fletcher has also called for new safety regulations
in the wake of the mining accidents in Kentucky and West Virginia.
Although the proposals are similar, the version passed by the
House Thursday doesn’t include provisions to drug test miners,
a measure touted by Fletcher.
Yont’s bill would increase the number of state mine inspections
to four, call for companies to provide emergency oxygen tanks
underground, set a 15-minute time limit to report accidents and
require miners to wear tracking devices.
••••••••
The House also approved a measure designed to ensure more experienced
young drivers on Kentucky roads, Adams reported. The bill passed
the House Feb. 6, 89-3.
Teens between the ages of 16 and 18 would have a 180-day permit
that would serve as a training period in which to complete 60
hours of driving, including 10 hours at night. Upon completion
of the permit period without a moving violation the drivers would
get their 180-day intermediate license. With this license, teens
would be limited to one passenger under the age of 20 inside their
car and driving would be restricted between midnight and 6 a.m.
Teens living on farms would be exempt. “House Democrats
are hopeful that HB 90 will pass the Senate, where similar bills
have died without a vote the past three sessions,” Adams
said.
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