Prescription Fraud and Drug Abuse [Business and Professions Code 4390]
When one thinks of drug addiction, the perception may be of users meeting drug pushers in dark alleys and behind liquor stores, clandestinely exchanging money for an illegal substance. However, a growing abuse of prescription drugs has changed how users obtain their supplies. Often they rely on prescription fraud.
Addiction to prescription drugs, as with their illegal counterparts, generally leads to a continual need to increase dosages. Users who have turned to taking a prescription medication like Oxycondone or Vicodin soon find that their supply doesn’t meet their needs. One method they employ is so-called “doctor shopping.” The abuser goes from one physician’s office to another to obtain quantities of their drug. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has met this problem with establishing a prescription tracking system.
An alternative to doctor shopping leads abusers to commit a further offense. Increasing numbers of physicians are finding their prescription pads missing. In some cases, individuals steal large quantities of these pads in order to obtain their drugs. Often as well, individuals create reproductions of prescription forms which, with the sophisticated scanning and imaging machines available today, render them virtually indistinguishable from the real ones.
In essence, both of the above methods of obtaining prescription medications amount to fraud. Considering that 2006 alone saw 2.6 million new prescription drug abusers in theU.S., the problem is becoming no less than epidemic. Prescription drug abuse accounts for more deaths each year than illegal drugs. Moreover, the problem is growing among teenagers.
The addict then becomes a part ofCalifornia’s criminal statistics as they desperately seek ways to satisfy their perceived needs. Moreover, some individuals who are not addicts take advantage of physicians in ways similar to those described above. One is trapped in the nightmare of his addiction, while the other seeks to take advantage. Yet both may be held to the same sorts of penalties.
If you are addicted to a substance and have been arrested for prescription fraud, there may be a way to avoid incarceration. Judges often order individuals into treatment programs. However, in order to give yourself the best chance of getting help and avoiding jail or prison, it is in your best interest to hire aLos Angelesattorney. The attorneys at Wallin & Klarich have over 40 years of experience helping individuals with their legal issues. Give them a call today for a consultation at (888) 280-6839.
