Letter to the Editor: 

Your Jan. 2 editorial Drug industry protected at taxpayer expense cited opposition to legalized drug importation from the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Customs, Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration -- those who would be responsible for an importation program's implementation. Yet it maintained that importing pharmaceuticals from Canada is safe and essentially without consequence. Having worked for the FDA, I understand the devastation that imports would bring to the U.S. drug-safety system, and it's simply not worth it.

Consumers already worried about drug safety would have far more reason to question the origin and effectiveness of their medications, since many ''Canadian'' drugs actually originate in other countries. Virtually all savings would be soaked up by the resellers.

Some naively assume that Canada would be a willing participant. Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh has made his position clear: ''I want to make sure that we don't have . . . 250 million Americans buying drugs in Canada. We cannot be the drugstore for the United States.'' Americans' Internet purchases just won't work, he says, and he is already moving to stop it. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin underscored that his health minister speaks for his government on importation.

The heated debate within our own borders will likely soon be moot. It's time to look for ''safe savings'' options such as generics, patient-assistance programs ( www helpingpatients.org) and the Medicare drug-discount card ( www.medicare.gov). These provide viable, long-term solutions based on evidence, research and logic.