Loretta Olson considers herself luckier than many seniors because her insurance covers most of the cost of the 10 prescription drugs she takes daily.

"Fortunately, I don't have to choose between my medication and food." Olson said. "But I know people who do."

Olson and her husband, Robert, were among some 70 seniors who attended a meeting Friday to hear details of legislation that would legalize lower-cost prescription drug imports from Canada and eventually from other countries.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, are co-sponsoring the bill.

Dorgan said the Senate could vote on the legislation sometime in late July. He said the bill has broad bipartisan support.

"Americans pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs," Dorgan said. "Miracle drugs offer no miracles if you can't afford them."

To make his point, Dorgan displayed prescription drugs made in the United States and sold at a fraction of the price in Canada, where the government sets a price cap.

The cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor costs $1.12 per pill in Canada and $3.03 in the United States, Dorgan said. The anti-depressant Paxil costs 97 cents in Canada and $2.20 in the United States.

The pharmaceutical industry has opposed the legislation, which has stalled similar efforts in the past, Dorgan said.

"I am as frustrated as you are that we haven't got this done yet," Dorgan told seniors in Bismarck. "The pharmaceutical industry is a big, powerful industry."

Opponents have said allowing prescription drug imports is unsafe and could lead to counterfeiting.

"There is no safety issue," Dorgan said. "It's a false argument by the pharmaceutical companies who want to protect their high prices. This legislation will put downward pressure on prescription drug prices."

Lee Hammond, an AARP vice president from Maryland, told seniors in Bismarck that his organization strongly supports the legislation. AARP has 35 million members 50 and older nationwide, he said.

"Certainly, this is a good bill, but it's not a panacea," Hammond said. "It is a step that is real critical to bringing down prescription costs."

Hammond said the United States has the best health care in the world but "it's a national embarrassment" that people have to go to other countries to buy affordable drugs.

In an interview, Hammond said the prescription drug bill likely will play a big role in the November elections.

"There is a large voice for this - a big bipartisan voice," he said. "The key is that this is an issue, rather than politics."