By AP/KWMU
Chicago, IL – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich says the state will have a website running within a month to help Illinoisans buy drugs from Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The governor says the state plans to contract with a Canadian company to connect people who live in Illinois with a network of foreign pharmacies that have been approved by state health inspectors.
Blagojevich says Illinoisans should be able to take advantage of cheaper drug prices offered abroad.
His proposal ignores a federal ban on prescription drug imports. And critics, including U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, say Blagojevich can't guarantee that those drugs are safe. Hastert told a Chicago radio station that the governor "should be personally liable" if anyone is hurt by the drugs.