- Supreme Court justices struggled to define a legal standard to parse out unusual medical practices from drug dealing as they considered the cases of two doctors who were convicted of unlawful drug distribution. The justices deliberated how to read a phrase in a Controlled Substances Act regulation that outlines an exception to the law’s prohibition and penalties, for prescriptions that were “issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of his professional practice.” They also expressed concern about sending physicians to prison for decades over the lack of legal clarity around medical norms. (Articles here, here, and here)
March 2, 2022
Opioid/Substance Use Disorders