If your job involves prescribing, issuing or administering pharmaceuticals, it’s crucial to understand your exposure to drug charges. Not only could they land you with a criminal record, but they could cost you your license to practice.
You would expect to face charges if you knowingly broke the law. For instance, if you deliberately administered the wrong dosage to a patient or stole drugs from the hospital or pharmacy supplies. Yet many medical professionals face charges through no fault of their own.
People want what you have access to
The opioid crisis has caused particular problems for medical staff. Not only must they deal with the after-effects of people who get hooked on them, but they may find themselves targeted by those seeking to buy or sell these drugs.
Doctors have had their prescription pads stolen, pharmacists at drug stores have been targeted with false prescriptions and innocent nurses have been questioned over missing drugs that someone else stole. It’s resulted in medical workers needing to be extremely vigilant and perhaps even turn down genuine requests from clients for extra drugs for fear the need is not genuine.
Some patients take their prescription drugs and sell them. Others play up their need for them, telling the doctor they have lost their last batch or need more because they are going away. Gangs determine which places to target with false prescriptions and send multiple people in to collect opioids to sell.
While anyone with access to drugs needs to take care to keep them safe, they can’t be expected to pick up on every scam. If you face prescription drug charges because someone targeted you, you’ll need legal help to build your defense.