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Pain Medicine – The Danger

On Behalf of | May 29, 2020 | Criminal Defense |

We all, during our lives, have occasions when we suffer pain.  Sometimes we are able to relieve it with over-the-counter medications which do not require a prescription.  There are other times where we are seen by a medical professional who prescribes a medicine for our pain.  When this necessity occurs both the prescription writer and the patient are in danger.  The danger is that big government, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will say that the prescription for pain medicine and the medicine prescribed were not medically needed by the patient.

When the government agencies so believe they can prefer serious criminal charges against the prescriber and/or the patient.  Conviction of the charges can carry punishment up to 20 years, and under certain conditions for life.

How is the DEA and FBI able to assess your pain?  If we see an open wound it is obvious to conclude that there must be some pain caused by the wound.  But we all know that some pain is not visible to the eye or touch.  The DEA and FBI have solved this question of determining the extent of someone else’s pain by developing what their witnesses call red flag tests.  For instance, if the urine of the patient does not show the presence of the prescribed medicine, this is a red flag that the patient does not need the medicine to suppress the pain.  The patient may be trying to limit the number of pills taken, or in some instances may have lost the bottle of medication.  In most cases the government witness is a physician who testifies about the red flags without ever seeing the patient.

Pain clinics frequently prescribe opioids for pain.  The negative opioid publicity has made the situation more dangerous for pain clinics and patients of pain clinics.

In summary, if you are either a prescriber of pain medication or a patient of a pain clinic be aware that the government is looking for red flags that will be used to prosecute those they believe to be getting medication for non-existent pain.