Florida's Drug Laws And How They Apply To Medical Practitioners

As Florida continues it's assault on medical pain clinics (crudely known as "pill mills"), it is important to note that Florida's medical practitioners, such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, are not immune to our state's drug laws. In fact, several provisions of our primary drug statute, Chapter 893, are directed at medical practitioners.

Medical practitioners are at the forefront in the State of Florida's war on pain clinics. And as people engage in "doctor shopping," where they obtain prescription drugs from more than one prescribing physician, physicians can be criminally charged if they knowingly provide prescriptions to patients who have obtained prescriptions of the same drug from other physicians within the last thirty days.

Pain clinic employees and owners, including medical doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, are often charged with trafficking for their role in prescribing prescription drugs to patients. Attorney General Pam Bondi and her staff have made it a goal of their administration to rid the state of pain clinics. Many pain clinics are legitimate operations that serve to provide prescription drugs to needy patients who lack medical insurance or cannot afford the high cost of prescription drugs.

Pain clinics are raided every single day in Florida, namely in Broward County.

Eric Matheny is a criminal defense attorney serving Miami-Dade and Broward. Call today to discuss your case.