People in Arkansas can end up facing drug crimes for prohibited substances or prescription medications. Although many people assume they can do whatever they want with prescribed drugs, that simply isn’t true.
Numerous laws restrict access to prescription medications. Patients need a recommendation from a doctor to even obtain the medication, and they have to use the medication in accordance with a doctor’s instructions. The failure to do so could open patient up to prosecution.
Those who feel dependent on certain medications might try to convince their doctor to prescribe more of the drug than they truly need. They might also see multiple physicians to obtain multiple prescriptions. Doing so could lead to drug charges.
Doctor shopping is a crime
Doctors have to maintain patient confidentiality, which means that patients sometimes try to use that privacy to their advantage. Widespread abuses of prescription medication in recent years have forced the state to create a medication monitoring program.
The state now looks at all medications prescribed to and received by different patients that are associated with abuse. When the state notices that one person has filled multiple prescriptions from different doctors for the same drug, that is likely to trigger an investigation.
State authorities may assume that the patient abused that medication. There may even be concerns about them dispensing the medication to others. In either case, prosecution is possible. What looks like a crime to uninvolved investigators could involve a patient changing doctors or disagreeing with a treatment plan.
People accused of inappropriate conduct with medications, including doctor shopping, may need help fighting their pending drug charges. Reviewing the situation that led to an arrest can help a defendant determine the best defense strategy given the circumstances.