Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, in what he calls a
"last-case option," is looking at seeking the help of Indian
tribes in importing low-cost medicine from Canada if a federal ban is
imposed on mail-order pharmaceuticals. The same legal status that allows
Indian tribes to operate casinos and sell discount cigarettes could make
them a possible outlet for discounted drugs. The governor and tribal
leaders were looking into the legality of Minnesotan tribes importing
prescription drugs from their Canadian counterparts and selling them in
pharmacies on tribal lands. "We're a sovereign nation in
Canada, and they're a sovereign nation in the U.S.," said Gwen
LaFreniere, chief executive officer of the Dakota Plains Wahpeton Nation
in Manitoba. "There should be no reason why nation-to-nation trade
cannot happen."
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