S1395JUL15

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending July 15, 2005

S 1395 A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to provide authority for the Attorney General to authorize the export of controlled substances from the United States to another country for subsequent export from that country to a second country, if certain conditions and safeguards are satisfied.

BRIEF

The bill, similar to one in 2004 would aim to level competition between US manufacturers of pharmaceutical products containing narcotics and other controlled substances and foreign manufacturers of the same.

US law allows the shipment of such drugs directly to the country in which it is to be consumed. Shipping to a central distribution country for further shipment to other countries is prohibited for US manufacturers but not for foreign manufacturers. The report accompanying the bill concludes that the prohibition puts American manufacturers as a disadvantage.

The bill would allow, under the scrutiny of the Attorney General, for the 260 US pharmaceutical manufacturers to re-export to countries beyond the first country. The recipient countries must be a party to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and the Convention on Psychotropic Drugs and the drug could only be moved to a second country and not beyond there.

The report further explained that there is an increasing demand overseas for such drugs and the bill would reduce shipping and licensing costs required to ship the drugs to several countries rather than just one.

Sponsor: Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)

Vote: passed Senate by Unanimous Consent (July 14, 2005)

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost.