The War Against Doctors

The United States Department of Justice, through its DEA component, has effectively declared a war against Pain Management Physicians over the past 20 years. This effort, which began as a response to the opioid epidemic, originally targeted physicians who were using their medical licenses as little more than shields for drug-pushing activity. But increasingly, innocent practitioners were ensnared by the federal government’s draconian methods and expansive theories of criminal liability. Medical courses of treatment that at worst amounted to negligence or malpractice were prosecuted as crimes, with heavy sentences regularly imposed. Fortunately, the pendulum is beginning to swing back. The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Ruan v. United States made it clear that doctors can only be convicted of illegal distribution if they knowingly or intentionally prescribe drugs “without a legitimate medical purpose” and “outside the scope of medical practice”. But what do those phrases mean? This is now being decided in the lower federal courts. One thing is certain. The DOJ and DEA are not about to slash their budgets and go home. Experience teaches that the War Against Doctors will continue unabated.

Many of the doctors targeted by the DOJ are innocent. Unfortunately, many good doctors have ended up in the crosshairs of the federal government and have fallen victim to an aggressive initiative that not only ruins reputations and ends careers but also results in exorbitant monetary penalties and lengthy prison sentences.

The War Against Doctors site focuses on recent developments in federal criminal cases against physicians, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

It is maintained by federal white collar attorney Solomon L. Wisenberg.