Doctors prescribe opioids to patients who need medications to cope with chronic pain and similar ailments. Unfortunately, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has recently cracked down on doctors who “overprescribe” opioids, arresting practitioners for “endangering the health of the public.”
Thanks to the criminal focus on opioids, many doctors refrain from giving patients the pain relief they need. However, some practitioners are brave enough to continue to prescribe opioids despite the potential penalties.
Sadly, these men and women may face criminal penalties for their decisions, but criminal defense is possible for the accused.
Prescription Guidelines
Physicians have protocols they must follow when assessing patients’ pain. Doctors must consider all available options before writing scripts for painkillers, but this process can result in immense pain for patients as they wait for the “trial-and-error” process.
In short, doctors know that their patients need opioids, but they must wait to make prescriptions.
As a workaround, some doctors will write short-term prescriptions to help manage patients’ pain, but it’s not a long-term solution. Patients who suffer from chronic pain end up becoming victims of their illnesses due to government policing. However, this is rarely a concern for drug enforcement officers.
What an Attorney Can Do
If you are facing criminal charges for overprescribing opioids, you can defend yourself with the right representation. A criminal defense attorney can inspect all articles of evidence and move to suppress or dismiss any questionable data. Technicalities matter, and in many situations, they are exculpatory in opioid prescription cases.
Contact a Dallas Criminal Defense Attorney
Never believe that opioid prescription charges automatically result in convictions. Texas medical professionals can contact attorney Patrick J. McLain for comprehensive legal representation.
Call (214) 238-9392 now for a free consultation for your case.