SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The idea of importing cheaper drugs from Canada is too good to be true, according to a group of Canadian pharmacists.

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While some Americans are promoting the idea of importing prescription drugs from Canada to fight rising costs, Canadian pharmacists worry about shortages.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich figures his state can save $91 million a year if state employees and retirees can purchase lower-cost drugs in Canada.

But pharmacists from the Coalition for Manitoba Pharmacy were in Springfield on Wednesday, at the invitation of the state Pharmacists Association, urging the governor to drop his plan. They're concerned that it could jeopardize health care for Canadians.

"In Manitoba, pharmacists are reporting drug shortages, we have a serious shortage of pharmacists in the community, and drug prices are rising for the first time in years," said Lothar Dueck, the coalition's president. "Mr. Blagojevich's plan would make things many times worse."

A spokesman for the governor said Manitoba health officials voiced no such concern when an Illinois delegation traveled north of the border last month.

But Dueck said that the 230,000 Illinois employees and retirees the governor's plan would cover is equal to almost one-fourth the population of Manitoba. He said the added demand would overwhelm the province's drug supply.

"I'm sure the governor has been told that shipping Manitoba drugs to Illinois would be harmless to Manitoba," said Michele Fontaine, the coalition's vice president, in a statement. "It would be a disaster. A huge volume of drugs diverted to Illinois would make the shortages we're seeing even worse."

The Illinois Pharmacists Association agrees.

"The governor's plan doesn't take into consideration the reality that prescription drugs can be lifesaving, but without the proper care and oversight, they can be deadly," said Scott Drabant, the association's president.

Dueck said buying prescription drugs from Canada isn't a long-term solution to high-priced American drugs.

"If the governor wants to help citizens gain access to medicines, he should lobby the federal government to introduce a Medicare benefit. He can't solve an Illinois problem by putting patients in Manitoba and Illinois at risk," he said.

"Buying books on the Internet is safe. Buying drugs on the Internet may not be," says a statement on the Manitoba group's Web site.