Doctors Face Investigation in Rush Limbaugh Viagra Incident
Bump and Update: The doctors may face investigation in Rush's Viagra case.
State attorney's office spokesman Mike Edmondson said his office also will look into whether Limbaugh violated that agreement with prosecutors. Prosecutors also will examine the possibility of "any doctor being complicit and the possibility of doctors being charged as well."
Update: Are the doctors really in trouble? Perhaps not. This is grounds for discipline:
® Prescribing, dispensing, or administering any medicinal drug appearing on any schedule set forth in chapter 893 by the physician to himself or herself, except one prescribed, dispensed, or administered to the physician by another practitioner authorized to prescribe, dispense, or administer medicinal drugs. Fla. Stat. § 458.331
If one doctor prescribed it to another doctor instead of to Rush for privacy reasons. what then? According to the Orlando Sentinel:
It is generally not illegal under Florida law for a physician to prescribe medication in a third party's name if all parties are aware and the doctor documents it correctly, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the state attorney in Palm Beach County. He would not discuss specifics in the Limbaugh case Tuesday.
Crooks and Liars does some investigative reporting and reports the doctors may not be in the clear.
Christy weighs in at Firedoglake, as does James Wolcott.
Update: Rush mentioned his viagra troubles for all of 28 seconds on the air today, via Crooks and Liars, you can listen here.
The Orlando Sentinel reports:
Limbaugh joked about the search on his radio show Tuesday, saying Customs officials didn't believe him when he said he got the pills at the Clinton Library and he was told they were blue M&Ms. He later added, chuckling: "I had a great time in the Dominican Republic. Wish I could tell you about it."
Update: Rush gets punked on the air by a caller asking him about expanding the government's domestic surveillance to include, say, sex tourism in the Dominican Republic. You can listen here.
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Original Post 6/26
Rush Limbaugh Detained at Airport for Possessing Viagra
Rush Limbaugh doesn't learn. After all his trouble with his doctor shopping case, and his being under a deferred prosecution, he asks his doctors to put his viagra script in their name instead of his "for privacy purposes." Today he was detained at the Palm Beach Airport for three hours when a search of his luggage uncovered them.
For privacy? That sure worked out well, didn't it. Now, instead of just a pharmacist learning he takes the drug, the whole world knows.
What will happen to him? The matter has been referred to prosecutors. Possessing drugs without a proper prescription can be a class two misdemeanor. It could revoke his deal. As I reported here,
The agreement also provides that he must refrain from violating the law during this 18 months, must pay $30 per month for the cost of "supervision" and comply with other similar provisions of the agreement.
Any violation of the law could result in a revocation of his deal, which would mean he'd have to stand trial on the doctor shopping charge. The decision will be up to prosecutors.
My prediction: He'll skate, since viagra is not a psychotropic substance. And because Roy Black is a great lawyer.
Crooks and Liars has the Olbermann video on the detention, and a link to Roy Black's statement.
I think this will sit just fine with conservatives. Isn't Bob Dole the poster boy for Viagra?
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