Painful Realization

Frank Fisher, a California physician who was originally charged with murder and drug dealing based on his prescriptions of narcotic painkillers, was acquitted yesterday of the remaining charges against him, involving state health insurance fraud. Fisher, who spent five months in jail following his arrest in 1999, says he was targeted because, unlike most doctors, he was willing to prescribe the large, continuing doses of opioids necessary for treating severe chronic pain. The Pain Relief Network's Siobhan Reynolds calls Fisher's acquittal, which follows a judge's dismissal of the homicide and drug dealing charges, a potential "turn-around moment" when the public realizes "the dangers present when the law enforcement community seeks to impose its outdated views on cutting edge medical practice."

Comments

[tchiers]

And the reason we can't charge the DEA agents/cops/prosecutors with practicing medecine without a license is?

I would love for some state attorney general to sack up and say that any drug warrior who is not board-certified himself that second guesses a doctor's perscription is gonna get charged.

[dhex]

and right after they put themselves out of business little pink libertarian kittens will fly through the sky and gently meow away government subsidies... 🙂

[Hydroman]

Glad to see he got acquitted,but they have probably ruined his career as a physician.
Wonder how many careers the War on Drugs has ruined.

[Rush Limbaugh]

Anyone got Dr. Frank's number? I'm suffering from extremely painful hemorrhoids from sitting on my fat ass all day.

[heh2k]

it's pretty disgusting what the DA did. the antidrug zealots will goto any low. they don't care if patients must suffer pay. i wonder how many have committed suicide rather than bare pain without relief.

[john]

Heh2k,

The best friend I ever had and one of the strongest willed individuals I ever had was driven to suicide due to the medical professions' unwillingness/inability to treat persistent acute pain. Subsequently we found out that five of the doctors other patients that suffered from the same condition had also commited suicide. This is a very serious problem.

[Walter Wallis]

Doctors need to demand that the government set up a board of pain management experts to take full responsibility for any pain management where the amount of drugs needed exceeds government standards. These experts must deny to the face of any patient the pein relief they seek. Doctors must not allow their profession to be sniped.

[End the War on Drugs]

Hydroman:

Ruined his career as a physician?

I'll bet that uhh... patients are going to be beating a path to his door now!