Prescription drug charges can bring severe consequences in California

May 07, 2013 (Press-News.org) Prescription drug charges can bring severe consequences in California

Article provided by Law Offices of John D. Kirby, A P.C.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately half of Americans regularly take one or more prescription drugs. Given their ubiquity in our society, it can be easy to forget that use of prescription drugs outside the bounds of a legitimate doctor-patient relationship is a criminal offense. In many cases, prescription drug charges are just as serious -- or even more so -- than other types of drug charges.

One California doctor recently learned this the hard way. A 44-year-old Southern California doctor entered into a plea agreement on April 17 in which he admitted to illegally prescribing drugs to his patients. The doctor had reportedly been meeting as many as a dozen patients nightly at Starbucks stores scattered throughout Orange County. The meetings cost the patients up to $600, but each of them left with a prescription for drugs like OxyContin and Vicodin. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the doctor will likely face a prison sentence of eight to 10 years.

Possession may be supplemented by additional charges

Serious prescription drug charges are not just for doctors in California. When you're caught with OxyContin or another prescription drug but do not have a proper prescription for it, you will likely face more than just possession charges.

When they find illegal prescription medications, law enforcement authorities usually begin looking into how the drugs were acquired. Prosecutors may allege that you stole a prescription pad or went to several physicians to wrongfully obtain multiple prescriptions, behavior that can mean prescription fraud charges. Or, they may claim you stole the medication and add a theft charge.

Of course, it is also illegal for doctors to issue prescriptions outside the course of professional treatment, as alleged in the recent case of the Orange County doctor writing prescriptions in Starbucks stores. Under California Health and Safety Code Section 11153, prescriptions "for a controlled substance shall only be issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of his or her professional practice."

Accused of a prescription drug offense? You need help from a Southern California defense attorney

Whether you've been accused of using or distributing prescription medications illegally, you are facing a steep uphill legal battle. Beyond the obvious penalties of the criminal justice system like incarceration and fines, you also face the collateral consequences of a prescription drug offense, such as damage to your reputation or loss of a professional license.

Don't let a prescription drug offense irreparably damage your future. Talk to a Southern California prescription fraud defense attorney today to minimize the consequences of prescription drug charges.