60 Plus Jim Martin: “Congress must take action NOW to keep seniors from taking poison.”

(Alexandria, Virginia) – 60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin, leader of the nation’s largest conservative seniors advocacy group, with 7.1 million supporters, issued a statement today on the dangers of counterfeit online pharmacies selling ineffective and often poisonous drugs, and sounding an alarm for Congress to take action and address this issue immediately.

“Millions of Americans, but seniors especially, are in serious danger of ingesting harmful and counterfeit pharmaceuticals sold by fraudulent overseas websites, who are selling pills that are ineffective at best, and outright poisonous at worst. These websites are increasing in number every day, and increasing in sophistication to mask their true identity and the poison they’re peddling.

“I call on Congress to take action now, to help increase public awareness of the danger of these sites, and help put a stop to the distribution of these so-called medicines containing only-God-knows-what to unsuspecting Americans,” said Martin.  “The longer we wait, the more we let millions of senior citizens and those who care for them play Russian Roulette with their health care.”

Martin made these comments in the wake of Congressional leaders deciding this week to delay and re-tool the Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA), legislation that would have addressed rogue overseas pharmacies.  With the delay on SOPA, Martin is urging Congress to continue to move forward with the portion of the legislation that cracks down on rogue overseas pharmacies.

Martin proposes that Congress move forward with granting law enforcement and U.S. trade officials enhanced  power to shut down foreign websites marketing pharmaceuticals without approval.  “SOPA may be on the back burner for now, but while Congress delays, tens of millions of Americans of all ages remain at risk.  Legislation to address foreign rogue pharmacies has broad bi-partisan support, and must move forward without delay.”

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