NYC Prescription Diversion Attorney
Opioids
Being charged with prescription diversion, especially involved opioids, is a serious offense that should be taken extremely seriously. Given the opioid crisis currently plaguing the nation, the government is aggressively prosecuting everyone involved, no matter how minor of a role someone may have played. This is why you must retain a skilled and experienced New York City prescription diversion attorney to defend you. At Mark I. Cohen, Esq., we have over three decades of experience defending greater New York City residents for a variety of drug-related crimes.
What is Drug Diversion?
Drug diversion involves deflecting prescription narcotics, like opioids, from medical sources into the illegal market. It can be from a medical provider, laboratory, or even a family member. Giving your prescription medication to someone else in your family who was not prescribed this medication can result in criminal charges. Many people were not aware or did not believe they were doing anything wrong. However, given how opioids are being used with other powerful illicit drugs, the number of opioid-related drug overdoses continues to rise. This is one of the reasons why government bodies are taking a harder stance when it comes to prosecuting these matters.
Drug diversion can happen at different levels in the medical system as well. It’s not just friends and family or health care providers, but also drug manufacturing companies who may be charged with drug diversion. Prescription diversion can happen in a variety of ways, including when someone goes to multiple doctors in order to get the same prescription, a doctor signs a prescription, or when the patient steals it from someone else.
Teenagers are getting their hands on drugs at a younger age because they believe prescription drugs are safer than illegal ones. Their parents’ medicine cabinets contain a variety of opioid medications making access that much easier.
What are Opioids?
Opioids refer to a classification of drugs that include both prescription medication and illegal drugs like heroin. Synthetic opioids that you can get by prescription include fentanyl, hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin), morphine, codeine, and more. Using opioids can lead to brain changes that mess with an addicted person’s mind and their self-control, leading to an inability to resist the urge to take these drugs. Prescription opioids also have numerous side effects in addition to the risks of addiction, abuse, and overdose.
New York’s I-STOP Act
The I-STOP Act was the first in the country to address the potential abuse of doctors over-prescribing opioids to patients. When this law passed, it meant that physicians had to consult a database that detailed the patient’s prescription history prior to writing a prescription for schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances. Instead of writing a prescription on a pad like years past, these drug prescriptions must be submitted electronically. This process helps eliminate theft and attempted abuse by patients who are addicted and abusing these drugs.
Contact a New York City Prescription Diversion Attorney Today
If you have been charged with prescription diversion of an opioid drug, it’s essential to speak with a New York City criminal defense attorney right away. Contact Mark I. Cohen, Esq., today to schedule an initial consultation.
