Federal Judge Overturns Maine Prescription Drug Import Law

A United States district court judge has ruled that Maine’s 2013 law allowing consumers to import prescription drugs by mail from certain countries circumvents federal law; as a result, the import law is no longer valid in Maine. The judge’s decision was the result of a legal battle between the state and the Maine Pharmacy Association and the Retail Association of Maine; representatives of these organizations noted that the federal ruling protects Maine’s residents and prevents unapproved and substandard drugs from entering the US. Maine’s attorney general has not indicated whether the state will appeal the ruling, according to the Portland Press Herald.