HENDERSON, Nev. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said President Bush is standing in the way of lower drug prices for cash-strapped seniors by refusing to allow prescription imports from Canada.

Kerry launched a new push for support from senior citizens by trying to convince them that Bush will hurt their bottom line with his prescription-drug policies and efforts to privatize Social Security.

Kerry said Bush is standing in the way of bipartisan efforts in Congress to allow drug imports from Canada. He compared the prices of popular drugs in the United States and Canada, saying they were about twice as expensive stateside.

"George Bush stood right there and said, 'Nope, we're not going to help people to have lower-cost drugs in America, we're going to help the big drug companies get a great big windfall,'" Kerry said.

"It's a monopoly, and it's been put in place by George Bush and his friends, and it's costing you a whole bunch of extra money, and it's wrong," he added.

Bush's campaign officials accused Kerry of making false charges against the president. They said that Bush opposes importation from Canada because of safety concerns. The White House has said it would be virtually impossible to ensure that imported drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and not counterfeit.

They also said Bush does not support privatization of Social Security for today's seniors. He wants to give younger workers the option of putting part of their payroll tax into personal retirement accounts, giving them a chance to make a higher return on that investment in return for smaller Social Security benefits.