Geoff Klopp is a former president of the Correctional Officers Association of Delaware.
As a former leader of the Correctional Officers Association of Delaware, my colleagues and I take great honor in our responsibility to protect and improve public safety. This includes supporting rehabilitation programs to assist inmates in developing into productive members of society upon release, ultimately contributing to safer communities across the state.
That said, I am concerned that our state may now be heading in the wrong direction when it comes to maintaining public safety.
Specifically, Delaware is considering whether to import prescription drugs from Canada and other countries as a strategy to lower costs for consumers. Though this policy may seem appealing at first glance, the reality is that it would raise serious questions around drug safety and quality, potentially fueling addiction and placing greater strain on correctional systems — all while offering minimal cost savings for Delaware’s residents.
One of the biggest concerns with a prescription drug importation program surrounds safety and quality. Importing drugs creates the opportunity for counterfeit, substandard, repackaged and adulterated drugs to enter our country’s supply chain. The Drug Enforcement Administration has already sounded the alarm on this. It released a report revealing that 6 in 10 counterfeit prescription pills seized by authorities contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
Moving forward with importation could unknowingly expose countless families across Delaware to such hazardous drugs. It increases the risk of counterfeit, unregulated or unsafe medications entering the community. Such drugs can fuel addiction, lead to health crises and contribute to crime, ultimately resulting in higher incarceration rates and putting greater pressure on correctional facilities.
To prevent Americans from being exposed to these dangerous, counterfeit products, proper oversight mechanisms need to be set in place. However, we’ve seen the federal government already cut thousands of longtime civil servants, including those at the Food and Drug Administration, who would be responsible for this supervision. As a result, the agency will have even fewer personnel to ensure that imported drugs meet domestic safety, quality and efficacy standards — at a time when heightened inspection would be more critical than ever.
In addition, implementing a prescription drug importation program would bring about several logistical and infrastructural challenges. This includes requiring significant coordination to import large volumes of prescription drugs, including cold storage and transportation for sensitive medications. Regulatory agencies would also need to implement new oversight systems, creating further costs and bureaucracy.
All of this has made it clear that these challenges will lead to limited cost savings for consumers. While drugs are often cheaper from places like Canada because of government price controls, the savings may not be as significant after factoring in importation costs, supply chain adjustments and regulatory compliance. This has deterred states like Wyoming, where the program was deemed unfeasible due to administrative burdens and an inability to guarantee significant consumer savings.
Further, the Canadian government has made it clear that it opposes prescription drug importation programs. Importation would destabilize Canada’s domestic market and health care system, as the country’s drug supply is too small to meet the demands of both American and Canadian consumers. That’s why Florida — the only state to receive FDA approval for Canadian drug importation — has struggled to import a single drug, despite having had approval for over a year. With U.S.-Canada relations now strained under the Trump administration, there’s little indication that Canada’s strong opposition to drug importation will change anytime soon.
Importing drugs from countries like Canada is an unreliable long-term fix that puts communities in danger. It shifts the problem rather than actually confronting the causes of high drug prices in Delaware and the U.S. Our state should instead focus on addressing inefficiencies within our domestic drug supply chains, improving regulatory processes for new drugs and tackling harmful insurance industry practices. These actions will make real progress toward confronting the high cost of prescription drugs, while upholding public safety.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
