The Broward Sheriff's Office is at it again.
In a recent law enforcement operation aimed at busting prescription pain clinics, BSO has arrested six licensed physicians, accusing them of distributing prescription painkillers to supposedly healthy patients who did not need the drugs. Several of those "patients" were undercover BSO officers.
The doctors are accused of trafficking in oxycodone (OxyContin) and alprazolam (Xanax).
Trafficking in prescription drugs, such as oxycodone and Xanax, carries lengthy mandatory minimum prison sentences. Over 28 grams of oxycodone (which may be just a bottle of pills) carries a 25-year mandatory prison sentence.
The State of Florida is fixated on going after prescription drugs. Instead of focusing efforts on the dangerous drug gangs and street-level dealers, state and local police agencies are targeting licensed doctors. These doctors are having their professional judgment called into question by issuing prescription drugs to people that the law enforcement community has determined do not require those drugs.
Who's fit to make a decision regarding what drugs to take? A doctor, with ten years of medical school and residency? Or a cop?
The problem with these "pill mill" operations is that cops can't seem to differentiate between good doctors offering prescription drugs to needy patients or shady physicians giving pills to addicts.
Pain clinics are an affordable alternative to a conventional doctor's office. They prescribe medications that are not illegal - such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin - but controlled by state and federal law. Oxycodone and Xanax are legal prescription drugs provided they are, in fact, prescribed by a doctor.
If you injure yourself are in pain, you can go visit your doctor and he or she may prescribe oxycodone. If you suffer from anxiety, your doctor or mental health professional may prescribe Xanax. Nothing wrong with that. Provided that you have health insurance that includes a prescription drug plan, or you have the cash to pay out of pocket.
Pain clinics permit low-income patients to have access to prescription drugs. The problem is, our government assumes that pain clinics are nothing more than drug trafficking hubs.
If you are in need of the services of a Miami trafficking attorney or a Broward trafficking attorney, call me to discuss your case. Trafficking in prescription drugs is one of the most serious offenses in the State of Florida.