Cardinal Health’s Settlement With the DEA Results in Shipment Suspension

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Cardinal Health and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have reached a settlement which will suspend Cardinal Health’s ability to ship controlled substances from its Florida distribution facility for two years. The company will now supply controlled substances from its distribution center in Jackson, Mississippi.

Cardinal Health’s Settlement Does Not Prevent the DEA from Pursuing Civil Penalties.

The settlement was announced on May 15, 2012. It includes an Administrative Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), the terms of which will apply to all of Cardinal Health’s registered distribution facilities. The MOA will not prevent Cardinal Health from possible civil penalties related to the DEA’s case against the pharmaceutical distributor.

The obligations in the MOA will remain in effect for five years unless the DEA agrees to an earlier termination. Some of the terms require Cardinal Health to improve anti- diversion procedures and keep track of narcotics distributions.

Click here to view the Memorandum of Agreement between Cardinal Health and the DEA.

Cardinal Health’s History with the DEA.

On February 3, 2012, Cardinal Health’s Florida distribution center was served with an Immediate Suspension Order (ISO) from the DEA. The ISO alleged that the distribution center did not maintain effective safeguards against the diversion of controlled substance, including oxycodone.

According to the DEA, Cardinal Health’s Florida facility shipped a large quantity of oxycodone to four Florida pharmacies. The DEA alleged that Cardinal Health did not ensure that these drugs only went to legitimate patients.

The February 2012 ISO was not the DEA’s first action against Cardinal Health’s Florida distribution center. In 2007, the DEA issued an ISO at the facility because it allegedly distributed hydrocodone to illegitimate internet pharmacies. That action, and similar DEA actions at other Cardinal Health facilities across the United States, resulted in a $34 million fine.

Cardinal Health has been operating under an Administrative MOA with the DEA since October 2008. This MOA required Cardinal Health to maintain a compliance program designed to detect and prevent the diversion of controlled substances (as required under the Controlled Substances Act).

According to the DEA, Cardinal Health did not comply with the terms of the October 2008 MOA, which is partly why the agency issued the February 2012 ISO.

Cardinal Health Pursues Litigation Against DEA.

Cardinal Health had filed litigation to challenge the DEA’s decision to impose the ISO, shortly after it happened. Click here for a copy of the Complaint filed in Federal Court in Washington, D.C. Ultimately the federal courts ruled against Cardinal Health on February 29, 2012. For a copy of the Court’s decision against Cardinal click here.

Click here to view other blogs regarding the Cardinal Health case.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced with DEA Cases.

The Health Law Firm represents pharmacists, pharmacies, physicians and other health provders in investigations, regulatory matters, licensing issues, litigation, inspections and audits involving the DEA, Department of Health (DOH) and other law enforcement agencies. Its attorneys include those who are board certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law as well as licensed health professionals who are also attorneys.

To contact The Health Law Firm, please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Sources Include:

DEA Public Affairs. “DEA Suspends for Two Years Pharmaceutical Wholesale Distributor’s Ability to Sell Controlled Substances from Lakeland, Florida Facility.” United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Press Release. (May 15, 2012). From
http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr051512.html

Milford, Phil and Tom Schoenberg. “Cardinal DEA Settlement Calls for Two-Year Shipping Halt.” Bloomberg. (May 15, 2012). From
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-15/cardinal-dea-settlement-calls-for-two-year-shipping-halt.html

About the Author:  George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law.  He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice.  Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area.  www.TheHealthLawFirm.com  The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone:  (407) 331-6620.

Florida Pharmacy Allegedly the Cause of Eye Infection Outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has allegedly traced a rare fungal infection to an Ocala pharmacy, according to media reports. As reported, Franck’s Compounding Lab is believed to be at least partially responsible for spreading a rare fungal eye infection to over 30 patients across the U.S.

The CDC reports that eye drops and injections traced back to the lab caused the infections. These ophthalmic products contained multiple fungal and bacterial species, according to the CDC. The products have now been recalled, but were in use for over a year before the recall. The CDC has also issued a warning to avoid any product labeled sterile from Franck’s.

The patients impacted by the contaminated products had all undergone some type of eye procedure in which the Franck’s products were used. 23 patients have allegedly suffered some vision loss as a result of the infection.

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) has stated that it cannot divulge if Franck’s or any other pharmacy is being investigated at this time. If the pharmacy is believed to pose an immediate threat to patient safety, the DOH could issue an emergency suspension order (ESO) to immediately suspend the pharmacy’s license.

Franck’s has released a statement saying that the pharmacy is fully cooperating with the DOH and FDA. Franck’s says it is currently cooperating to conduct product recalls and will assist in post-recall inspections to prevent future occurrences.

This is not the first time that this Central Florida pharmacy has made headlines. In 2009, the pharmacy was blamed for the deaths of over twenty polo horses in south Florida. This was also allegedly caused by a contaminated compound. Because of this case, the FDA tried to stop Franck’s from compounding veterinary products.

However, Franck’s won in U.S. District Court when United States v. Franck’s Lab, Inc. was decided in December 2011. In this case, the federal court ruled that the FDA does not have the authority to regulate the practice of pharmacists compounding veterinary prescriptions from bulk substances. The decision in favor of the pharmacy can be found here.

The Health Law Firm represents pharmacists and pharmacies in investigations, regulatory matters, licensing issues, litigation, inspections and audits. It’s attorneys include those who are board certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law as well as licensed health professionals who are also attorneys.

To contact The Health Law Firm please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Sources Include:

Associated Press. “CDC Links Eye Infections to Troubled Florida Pharmacy.” Fox News.com. (May 04, 2012). From
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/04/cdc-links-eye-infections-to-troubled-florida-pharmacy/#ixzz1tvHCA4yg

CBS News Staff. “Rare Fungal Eye Infections Tied to Fla. Pharmacy, CDC Warns.” CBS News. (May 04, 2012). From:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57427915-10391704/rare-fungal-eye-infections-tied-to-fla-pharmacy-cdc-warns/

Medina, Carlos E. “Eye Infections Linked to Ocala’s Franck’s Compounding Lab.” The Gainesville Sun. (May 03, 2012) From
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120503/ARTICLES/120509811?tc=ar

United States v. Franck’s Lab, Inc., No. 5:10-cv-147-Oc-32TBS (M.D. Fla., Sept. 12, 2011).

WFTV. “Ocala Pharmacy Blamed for Dozens of People Suffering Vision Loss.” WFTV.com. (May 04, 2012). From
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/ocala-pharmacy-blamed-dozens-people-suffering-visi/nNWCR/

New Anti-Prescription Drug Abuse Campaign in Pinellas County

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Pinellas County has started a new billboard campaign aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse. The billboard message reads, “We’re shutting down Pill Mills in Pinellas County.” The first two billboards were erected on April 1, 2012. Several smaller boards will be put up in the next few weeks, with even more planned for the future. This continues the long-standing battle by Pinellas County law enforcement authorities against pain management clinics that they describe as “pill mills.”  Pinellas County includes the cities of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Seminole.

The billboard message is a statement from local coalition groups who have partnered with Pinellas County in order to curb the area’s prescription drug abuse problem. In 2010, Pinellas County allegedly had the most occurrences of accidental overdose deaths from prescription drugs when compared to all other counties in Florida.

The intention of Pinellas County in establishing this billboard campaign may be aimed at stopping prescription drug abuse, but the billboards also shed negative light on legitimate pain management clinics and physicians. Although anti-prescription drug abuse campaigns are laudable, these efforts should focus on assisting those with actual prescription drug abuse history, rather than creating a scapegoat out of the pain management industry.

If you work in the pain management industry (physician, pharmacist, pain clinic, pharmacy, etc.) and feel that your medical license, pharmacy license, or business is at risk or is under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) or Florida Department of Health (DOH), please visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com for more information about this.

Sources Include:

WFTS Staff, “County Sends Billboard-sized Message About Prescription Drug Abuse,”  ABC Action News (Apr. 6, 2012).  From:  http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/county-sends-billboard-sized-message-about-prescription-drug-abuse

“We’re Shutting Down Pill Mills in Pinellas County,” Tampa Bay Newspapers (Apr. 10, 2012). From:  http://www.tbnweekly.com/pinellas_county/content_articles/041012_pco-01.txt

George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law.  He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice.  Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area.  www.TheHealthLawFirm.com

Florida Walgreens Pharmacies Issued Inspection Warrants by the DEA

The recent investigation of a Walgreens distribution center and six Walgreens pharmacy stores in Florida shows that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is continuing to attack pharmacies, including the largest pharmacy chains.

On Wednesday, April 4, 2012, the DEA issued inspection warrants to the Florida Walgreens distribution center and six pharmacies. According to the warrant, the DEA is investigating these Walgreens pharmacies in Florida to determine if the pharmacies are dispensing controlled substances outside the scope of their registration in violation of federal laws and regulation.

The warrant was filed in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida and also stated that under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, a warrant may be issued for valid public interest and without the type of probable cause needed under criminal law.

The inspection warrants will allow DEA investigators to review pharmacy’ records and receipts. The pharmacies are not required to stop selling controlled substances, which include painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone, during the DEA’s inspection.

The inspection of Walgreens’ pharmacies in Florida is only one of the latest attacks against pharmacies and pain management clinics by the DEA. Earlier this year, the DEA suspended Cardinal Health’s license to distribute controlled substances from one of its distribution centers in Florida. Two CVS pharmacies in Florida were also targeted by the DEA and suspended from selling controlled substances. Both companies are currently fighting the orders in court.

If you own or work at a pharmacy or pain clinic, visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com to learn more about legal matters concerning pain management and prescribing.

Florida Pain Clinics Can Expect More Bullying From Law Enforcement

Florida pain clinics really began to feel the impact of becoming law enforcement’s newest target about one year ago. This was based in part on televison “magazine” shows and investigative reporters’ shows and articles publicizing many abuses by patients who were “doctor shopping” and physicians who were allegedly “over-prescribing.”

More regulations were enacted, and lawmakers approved severe penalties for doctors accused of over-prescribing, including prison sentences. Most physicians were banned from dispensing drugs in their offices, and the governor created a Florida drug “strike team” whose mission was to eliminate any pain clinics that were found to be suspicious. The Florida Surgeon General and the Board of Medicine made announcements about the “crackdown” on “over-prescribing.”

According to the Orlando Sentinel, since the implementation of the new pain management and prescribing laws, the Florida strike force has made thousands of arrests and seized millions of pills in an effort to curb alleged over-prescribing and prescription drug abuse.

Now, after a year of strict regulations and punishments for Florida’s pain management physicians, pain clinics, pharmacists and pharmacies, the state is continuing to attack the pain management profession. While the planned measures aren’t as harsh as those that began a year ago, such as installing prescription drop boxes at police stations, they continue to place a stigma on the practice of pain management – a medical subspecialty with the purpose of alleviating the pain of suffering patients.

In addition, patients with true medical need for prescription pain medications are finding it increasingly difficult to even locate a physician to treat them, given the stigma and the possibility of arrest and prosecution. Medical ethicists have commented on this problem, an issue that will become increasingly problematic for the foreseeable future.

If you work in the pain management industry (physician, pharmacist, pain clinic, pharmacy, etc.) and feel that your medical license, pharmacy license, or business is at risk or is under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) or Florida Department of Health (DOH), please visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com for more information about this.

The DEA Attacks Legitimate Pharmaceutical Distributors, Starting with CVS Pharmacy and Cardinal Health

Earlier in February 2012, the DEA accused both CVS Pharmacy, one of the nation’s largest drug store chains, and Cardinal Health, one of the nation’s largest legitimate distributors of pharmaceuticals, of endangering the public by selling excessive amounts of oxycodone to four Florida pharmacies. For Cardinal Health, the charges came in an immediate suspension order served Feb. 3, 2012, when the DEA suspended Cardinal’s license to distribute controlled substances from its Lakeland, Florida location, which serves four states, according to USA Today. Lakeland is located between Orlando and Tampa.

Cardinal immediately challenged the suspension in federal court denying the charges. The DEA’s suspension was temporarily lifted and a hearing was scheduled in the federal district court in Washington, D.C. In preparation for the hearing, the DEA and Cardinal filed hundreds of pages of documents that provide a look into how prescription painkillers have infiltrated the black market. We are attempting to obtain copies of some of these so that we can share them with other interested attorneys and individuals.

As reported in various media sources, the investigation into Cardinal’s operation began after a Cardinal investigator became aware of a rumor that a local pharmacy was selling oxycodone by the pill for cash. This Florida pharmacy was reported to be one of Cardinal’s biggest customers.

Over the next two years, Cardinal employees allegedly visited the same pharmacy at least four more times. Each time, they noted the following suspicious signs: Customers paid cash, oxycodone was the top seller, and young people came into the pharmacy in groups to have their prescriptions filled. The pharmacy allegedly dispensed 462,776 oxycodone pills over a two month period — which is what the DEA states is approximately seven times what the average pharmacy dispenses in a year. Additionally the pharmacy allegedly asked Cardinal for more. Cardinal filled the order for more oxycodone but terminated the pharmacy as a customer.

By the time Cardinal cut the pharmacy off in October 2011, police had arrested at least three doctors who were associated with or had their patients’ prescriptions filled at the pharmacy.  Law enforcement officials charged them with trafficking in oxycodone, racketeering and over-prescribing narcotics.

Then, in early February 2012, the DEA reportedly suspended the DEA registrations (sometimes called “DEA numbers” or “DEA licenses”) of four of Cardinal’s largest Florida customers. These suspensions demonstrate the DEA’s strategy to combat the country’s prescription drug abuse problem at the highest levels, regardless of the size or reputation of the company. After years of attacking doctors who dispense drugs from pain clinics, DEA agents are now targeting the legitimate pharmaceutical distributers — the top of the legitimate drug supply chain.

The number of overdose deaths involving prescription pain medications allegedly now exceeds deaths from heroin and cocaine combined, which motivates state and federal agents to be more aggressive in fighting against misuse of drugs.

Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, the DEA regulates every link in the supply chain for controlled substances such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, including manufacturers, distributors, doctors and pharmacies. According to the DEA, approximately 1.4 million entities have DEA registrations to handle controlled pharmaceuticals. The law requires pharmaceutical distributors, like Cardinal Health, to have systems to detect suspicious orders, which must then be reported to the DEA.  Additionally, federal regulations require that any thefts, losses or shortages of controlled medications be reported to the DEA.

In court documents filed in response to Cardinal’s challenge, the DEA said Cardinal ignored “red flags” raised to detect suspicious orders. However, Cardinal argues that volume alone is not enough to determine whether a pharmacy is diverting the drugs, because it does not account for a pharmacy’s location, the age and health of the population, and the proximity to hospitals, nursing homes and cancer centers.

The DEA routinely cites the volumes of drugs a pharmacy fills or the numbers of tablets of a certain type of medication for which a doctor writes prescriptions.  This is also a factor the DEA uses in cases we have seen where it seeks to suspend or revoke the DEA registrations of physicians and pharmacies in administrative cases.  However, some judges have expressed a reluctance to admit such “bean counting” or naked numbers as being irrelevant, when not supported by testimony or evidence placing the numbers into context with other factors, such as the physician’s practice, patient mix, standards of treatment, severity of illness, etc.

In the federal court case now pending, Cardinal has stated in papers filed that it has a “robust” detection system and has cut off more than 330 pharmacies, including 140 pharmacies located in Florida, over the past four years that it decided posed an unreasonable risk of diversion.

In a news article posted late on February 29, 2012, the Associated Press advised that federal Judge Reggie Walton had ruled against Cardinal Health earlier in the day.  Apparently Cardinal Health had originally obtained a “stay” (sometimes referred to as a “temporary restraining order” or “temporary injunction”) against the DEA’s suspension order.  However, after a hearing held on February 29 in which Cardinal Health sought an injunction against the DEA’s enforcement of its suspension, Judge Walton announced a decision form the bench.  He reportedly refused to grant Cardinal Health an injunction against the DEA, apparently agreeing with the DEA’s position.

This battle between Cardinal Health and the DEA is an important one as it demonstrates the DEA continued efforts to attempt to exert more control over pain clinics, pain management physicians, pharmacists, pharmacies, and now, pharmaceutical distributors. If you believe that the DEA is investigating you, your facility, your company or if you want to learn more about the legal implications of pain management, visit our website to learn more.

Sources for this article included; the Orlando Sentinel, Boston Globe, Associated Press, USA Today and Florida Today.

Suspected Florida Pill Mills Continue to Attract Investigations

According to the Orlando Sentinel, some of the worst alleged pill mills in Florida are located in Orlando. At a small pain clinic near downtown Orlando and an affiliated office, one doctor prescribed more oxycodone during a three-month period in 2010 than all doctors in the state of California combined. Details about the clinic from former employees span a nearly 200-page affidavit filed in Orange County Circuit Court in the racketeering case against doctors and management of this pain clinic. The documents offer a rare glimpse inside the investigation.

In this case, agents examined bank records, Crimeline tips and records from the Medical Examiner’s Office. Additionally, FDLE and Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation agents gathered prescribing data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, pulled state corporation filings and viewed Department of Health records. Agents obtained the prescribing histories for 75 patients who got their drugs at Walgreens and found that 64 had criminal records. Of those, 42 have been arrested for drug-related crimes.

In addition to exploring paper trails, agents and investigators employed more-traditional law enforcement tactics, including undercover investigations. Posed as patients, undercover MBI agents were prescribed painkillers with little or no medical assessment. While waiting for their turns to see the doctors in the clinics, they overheard patients in the lobby talk about selling drugs.

Undercover agents said there were other indications that this pain clinic was a pill mill. There were long lines outside; armed security guards; and signs that warned patients they needed to bring empty pill bottles and posted what medications were available and a price list for the pills. The pain clinics were a cash business. Insurance was not accepted, and employees told agents the price per visit ranged from $160 to $350.

The original target of this investigation was one of the doctors at the pain clinic, but as agents gathered intelligence, it became clear they needed to learn more about the owners and management.

According to the investigation, the management recruited doctors to work at the clinics, but court documents show they had a problem retaining them. A man who used to work at a nearby business told agents that one of the owners complained to him that doctors were quitting and suggested he would hire the man to pretend to be a doctor at the clinic. 

The investigation of this pain clinic resulted in the arrest of the owners and doctor involved in allegedly overprescribing narcotics. As federal, state, and local agencies continue their mission to eradicate pill mills, more pain clinics will be involved in investigations.

If you are concerned about your pain clinic, or if you are a doctor practicing pain management at a pain clinic, please call us today at (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001.

South Florida Painkiller Network Newest Target in String of Florida Pill Mill Raids

Another South Florida pill mill was busted by federal agents this month, adding to Florida’s increasingly negative reputation as one of the worst drug trafficking states.

According to the Miami Herald, 24 people were indicted on charges of defrauding Medicare while distributing oxycodone and oxymorphone across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. These healthcare providers were involved in a distribution network allegedly worth $40 million.

Five pain management clinics in Miami, Hialeah and Plantation served as fronts for the fraud. A physician wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and oxymorphone to beneficiaries of Medicare and other prescription-drug insurance plans at these five clinics. Allegedly, these beneficiary patients were involved in the clinics’ scheme. The patients would then fill the prescriptions at certain pharmacies throughout Miami that were also involved in the network. When the prescriptions were filled, the pharmacy owners would bill Medicare, knowing that the drugs were unnecessary for the patients.

This bust follows a string of other DEA, DOH, and FDLE raids in Florida, including one in August. According to the Miami Herald, August’s Operation Oxy Alley involved pill mills being targeted as organized-crime for the first time. The country’s four largest pain clinics (located in Palm Beach and Broward Counties) were targeted, resulting in the arrest of 32 individuals, including 13 doctors.

Operation Pill Nation, the predecessor to Operation Oxy Alley, targeted pain management clinics in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. An effort to crackdown on Florida pill mills and drug trafficking perpetuated by medical clinics and doctors, Operation Pill Nation and similar investigations have resulted in the shutting down of clinics throughout South Florida according to the Palm Beach Post.

South Florida is not the only region where pill mills are running rampant. The entire state of Florida has been pegged by the DEA as one of the worst in terms of drug trafficking and about 85 percent of all oxycodone sold comes from Florida. Pain management clinics, pharmacies, pharmacists and doctors in Jacksonville, Melbourne, Mount Dora, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach have been busted by Florida and federal agencies (DEA, DOH, FDLE) for unlawfully dispensing powerful narcotics, like oxycodone, to any patient that came in the door. In one instance, buyers of highly addictive oxycodone and Xanax, came all the way from Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee to get their fix at a Jacksonville pill mill.

The DEA and other federal and state agencies carry out relentless investigations in order to bust these clinics and doctors. Acting as patients, they may bribe a receptionist in order to immediately see a doctor, and then present unrelated symptoms in order to get a narcotics prescription. Drug companies also become involved in targeting pill mills, as they report any clinic or physician who orders narcotics in large quanities (like this Florida doctor who prescribed over 250,000 oxycodone pills in eight months).

Although the crackdown on pill mills and drug trafficking in Florida has eliminated many illegitimate practices, there have been serious consequences for any patient with real pain. Physicians are wary of writing any painkiller prescription, even for a patient whose pain warrants a stronger prescription.

If you are a pharmacist or physician dealing with pain management in Florida, be aware of the recent raids and learn more about what you can do to prevent the DEA, DOH, FDLE or local police from knocking on your door. Visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com or read this article on the DEA‘s involvement in the healthcare field for more information.

New Florida Drug Database Aimed at Preventing Drug Abuse

Recently, Florida pharmacists, physicians and pain management clinics have received negative attention over frequent Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raids. Now, Florida is once again in the spotlight as the state has launched a drug database in an attempt to reduce drug abuse perpetuated by visits to the doctor.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, this database will allow physicians and pharmacists to review a patient’s prescription history before issuing prescriptions for painkillers like OxyContin and other powerful drugs.

These preventative measures are not new to Florida health care providers. After garnering a reputation for frequent drug trafficking, proliferated by pain management clinics, the state passed legislation banning many doctors from dispensing dangerous controlled substances in their offices.

Currently, use of the database is not mandatory, but legislators are hoping to make it a requirement in the future. Both the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association are urging members to retrieve information from the database before writing prescriptions.

With this new database, physicians, pharmacists and pain management clinics can help prevent visits from the DEA and Department of Health (DOH). Instead of writing prescriptions for powerful painkillers every time a patient comes calling, doctors can now judge whether a patient is really in need or abusing drugs. Being able to see every instance that a patient has filled a prescription for drugs like OxyContin and Valium will allow physicians and pharmacists to understand the whole picture If a patient is shopping around for drugs, it will be made apparent.

Keep the DEA from your practice by taking every precaution, including querying the database before writing or administering a prescription. For more information on DEA cases see this article about defending yourself in the event of an investigation. Pharmacists can learn about more legal matters concerning their profession here.