Patients do not always agree with the care decisions made by their physicians. In some cases, they start looking for a new doctor who may take their complaints more seriously or have a more compassionate approach to treatment.
Occasionally, patients go so far as to receive care for more than one physician at a time, which can put them at risk of prosecution. Especially in scenarios where patients see more than one physician misrepresent their circumstances, and they also obtain multiple prescriptions for medication, the state could potentially charge them with a drug offense.
Repeat prescriptions can trigger scrutiny
There are systems in place to minimize the abuse of medications, including systems that cross county lines. If one patient fills multiple prescriptions for the same medication from different doctors at one pharmacy or even at multiple different pharmacies, that can lead to questions about whether they abuse the medication and if they may have broken the law.
Possessing more medication than a doctor prescribed can be a crime. So can intentionally misrepresenting medical circumstances in pursuit of a particular medication.
It is a violation of Florida state laws to withhold information from a doctor, such as the fact that another medical professional has already prescribed a medication. It is also illegal to intentionally misrepresent medical issues for the purpose of steering a doctor’s diagnostic or treatment decisions.
People accused of prescription drug offenses, including committing fraud to obtain medication, are at risk of serious penalties and potentially life-altering criminal consequences. Retaining a defense lawyer when accused of a drug crime can help people respond effectively when their desire for specific medical care leads to criminal accusations.
