Sun: The Comedy Stylings of Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov

If You Bought Mail-Order Viagra, Hoping For Fentnayl, You Are Going to Be Disappointed.

For years, the Food and Drug Administration has defended its efforts to intercept prescription drugs coming from abroad by mail as necessary to keep out dangerous opioids, including fentanyl.

The pharmaceutical industry frequently cites such concerns in its battle to stymie numerous proposals in Washington to allow Americans to buy drugs from Canada and other countries where prices are almost always much lower.

But the agency’s own data from recent years on its seizure of packages containing drugs coming through international mail provides scant evidence that a significant number of opioids enters this way. In the two years for which KHN obtained data from the agency, only a tiny fraction of the drugs inspected contained opioids.

The overwhelming majority were uncontrolled prescription drugs that people had ordered, presumably because they can’t afford the prices at home.

The FDA still stops those drugs, because they lack U.S. labeling and packaging, which federal authorities say ensure they were made under U.S. supervision and tracking.

The FDA said it found 33 packages of opioids and no fentanyl sent by mail in 2022 out of nearly 53,000 drug shipments its inspectors examined at international mail facilities. That’s about 0.06% of examined packages.

On average, Americans pay more than twice the price for exactly the same drugs as people in other countries. In polling, 7% of U.S. adults say they do not take their medicines because they can’t afford them. About 8% admit they or someone else in their household has ordered medicines from overseas to save money, though it is technically illegal in most cases. At least four states — Florida, Colorado, New Hampshire, and New Mexico — have proposed programs that would allow residents to import drugs from Canada.

Russia Is Looking for a Few a Lot of Good Men (and Women)

The Moscow kleptocracy is specifically looking for "ideological immigration" from white European conservative-minded adventurers who are angry that their own countries give too many rights to LGBT+ citizens, who are angry about their nations' continued opposition of Russia, or who are simply angry at the presence of so many ethnic people in their home countries.

If you fit that criteria—for example, if you're an avid Tucker Carlson viewer—and don't mind moving to an authoritarian nation where authorities can and will kill or imprison you for speaking out against Putin, his allies, or his underlings, good news. There's a plot of barren Russian land out there just waiting for you to build the compound of your dreams.

As an incentive for resettlement to Russia, D. Gusev proposed to provide 10 hectares [25 acres] of land to settlers from the United States and Europe at the end of January, hoping that up to 7 million people could take advantage of this offer.
You'll note that the enticement there is 25 acres of what Russia has the most of: land. You'll note that there's no promise that your new plot of land will come with a shelter, or electricity, or an outhouse. We've been seeing more and more of late that highlights the lifestyles of most Russians who live outside the major cities, but conservative Russia-backers may or may not be aware that in modern day Russia, toilets are considered a luxury item.

They are not Offereing 40 Acres an a Mule

Who Won the Week?

Democrats in House committee hearings (especially Jamie Raskin) for knocking the banana Republicans back on their heels with razor-sharp retorts that tear apart their BS

Joanna McClinton, the first Black woman (and first woman ever) to become Speaker of the Pennsylvania House

Federal Judge Michael Rosas, for ruling that Starbucks’ illegal anti-unionization efforts in NY were “egregious and widespread," and ordered back pay & damages to affected workers
Ukraine's mighty military in Vuhledar, for decisively crushing Russian attackers in the biggest tank battle of the war so far

The nationwide cancellation of racist-on-steroids Scott Adams' comic strip by hundreds of newspapers, his syndicator, and book publisher
The protesters trapped and beaten ("kettled") by NYPD cops during a 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstration, as the city ponies up $6 million for them ($21,000 each)

Eli Lilly, for announcing it will cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35/month, thanks to the power of persuasion by the Biden administration

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, whose "preparation, poise, and power" in defending Biden's student loan debt forgiveness plan earned rave reviews

The New England and upper midwest natives now living in the Golden State who showed southern Californians, with patience and love, how to deal with snow