Prescription painkillers can be wonderful aids for patients who are truly in need. However, due to their highly addictive nature, illegal distribution of these drugs is a serious and pressing social issue. Recently, a Georgia doctor who was arrested in connection with a pill mill operation has been convicted of his criminal charges that he faced for his role in the distribution of prescription pain killers.
When Florida laws changed in order to bar non-medical doctors from being the owners of pain clinics, the owners of a pill mill had to move. They set up shop in Georgia, where the laws concerning ownership of pain clinics are less restrictive. A doctor who recently settled a lawsuit concerning injuries that he caused during surgeries was hired on at the clinic.
Supposedly, patients traveled from surrounding states and even from as far as Ohio to visit the pill mill operation. Between late Feb. and mid-March 2011, the doctor distributed prescriptions for nearly 200 patients. Roughly 96% of those patients were prescribed the potentially addictive painkiller Oxycodone.
Recently, the doctor was convicted on almost 50 counts of dispensing drugs illegally as well as conspiring to launder money. The illegal distribution of painkillers such as Oxycodone is a serious crime in the state of Georgia and is treated as such. However, residents facing criminal charges related to the distribution of prescription drugs are granted the presumption of innocence unless proved differently. When forming a legal defense, taking into account applicable state laws and individual facts related to the case can be important for ensuring the most comprehensive defense team that serves in the best interest of the accused.
Source: The Augusta Chronicle, Georgia doctor convicted on 51 charges, Terry Dickson, Jan. 23, 2014