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jerrynmn1
Contributor ⭐⭐
Sep 20, 2026 12:27 AM UTC

Canadian Pharmacies will not be allowed to ship medications to United States

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has enacted a new policy governing international mail shipments, with key requirements scheduled to take effect on October 22, 2026. We have just learned that, under the planned implementation by CBP and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), virtually all prescription-medication parcels will be prohibited from entering the United States beginning on that date.

What’s Changing

Entry will be prohibited if the medication being imported is commercially available in the United States — even when it costs significantly more — or if the supplying company specifically markets to Americans.

These restrictions will apply to pharmaceutical parcels sent by pharmacies anywhere outside the United States. Taken together, they are expected to effectively close the personal-importation pathway that millions of Americans have relied upon for more than 25 years to obtain safe and affordable medications.

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    TRL1111
    Community Champion ⭐
    Sep 20, 2026 5:44 AM UTC

    As I said before, the rule that site links to suspends the de minimis exemption.  There’s nothing about a ban.  It says, “We have learned that” but doesn’t say where they learned it.  

      GabrielL811582
      Contributor ⭐
      Sep 20, 2026 4:57 PM UTC

      The CBP Rule page does not say, “personally importing lower-cost prescription drugs that are available here will be banned,” but the new requirements for international shipping of prescription drugs into the U.S. give the CBP/FDA visibility that they did not have before. Prior to this change, CBP/FDA did not encounter most personal drug imports at international mail facilities, and consumers almost always received their medication orders. CBP/FDA will have to make policy decisions on whether to maximize enforcement against personal drug imports.

      In the current policy landscape focussed on enforcement, the organization I lead, Prescription Justice, is very concerned Americans will be prevented from international mail order prescription drugs. Here’s our public statement: https://prescriptionjustice.org/resources/press-releases/prescription-justice-warns-new-cbp-rule-could-severely-curtail-americans-access-affordable-imported-prescription-drugs. 

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