Oxycodone is the most widely used opioid in the United States. Over 12 million people are estimated to use these opioid drugs recreationally. They are manufactured legally by large pharmaceutical companies and by criminal enterprises such as drug cartels.
On October 21, 2020, the Justice Department announced its criminal and civil investigation into the opioid manufacturing giant Purdue pharmaceutical company. The announcement was well received by law enforcement and by the public – especially by the parents who lost children and loved ones to the scourge of opioid addiction.
This article addresses the opioid crisis from two perspectives: the human cost of being addicted to pharmaceutical products like Oxycontin and Oxycodone. Second, the potential criminal and civil liability of medical professionals and providers that engage in over-prescribing narcotics to their addicted patients for financial gain while knowing they are causing severe harm to their patients.
Difference Between Oxycontin and Oxycodone
According to Healthline, Oxycontin is the brand name for Oxycodone. The primary difference between them is that Oxycontin is a controlled-release product which means that the opioid properties of the medication are released into the bloodstream over several hours. Oxycodone is an immediate-release drug.
Oxycodone Initially Prescribed for Dying Cancer Patients
Oxycontin was initially intended for terminally ill cancer patients with severe and chronic pain.
Oxycodone is a highly addictive narcotic. It comes from the same organic properties found in the poppy plant, which is the active ingredient in heroin.
The product was later reformulated and remarketed under other brand names such as Percocet and Percodan. On the street, drug dealers and their addicted customers reformulated their own special names for Oxycodone:
- Perc
- Oxy
- OC
- Ox
- Roxy
Remarketing Oxycodone-Oxycontin with Benign Ingredients
Pharmaceutical Companies have marketed Oxycodone-Oxycontin products alone and with other products, primarily benign named products like acetaminophen, which has been widely associated with aspirin.
Physiological And Psychological Effects of Oxycodone
- Euphoria
- Bliss
- Sedation
- Muscle Numbing
- Cold Tingling Sensation
The above physical and psychological effects have been compared to drugs such as:
- Heroine
- Opium
- Codeine
- Morphine
- Fentanyl
The Current Legal Status
As of 2023, Oxycodone products are still classified as Schedule II Controlled Substances.
Pain Killer Addiction – Withdrawal Symptoms
Oxycontin blocks pain signals and the nervous system. Oxycontin also increases dopamine levels in our system.
Dopamine is the natural chemical agent responsible for the experience of pain-numbing pleasure described above.
For most addicts, losing the euphoria brings about severe symptoms such as:
- High levels of anxiety
- Intense nervousness
- Profuse sweating and chills
- Insomnia
- Anorexia
- Diarrhea
- Intense and insatiable drug cravings
- Detoxification and Rehabilitative Services
Drug Treatment Programs
Detoxification and Recovery
Oxycontin products are not only highly addictive but also extremely difficult to withdraw from without the assistance of drug detoxification and rehabilitation services.
The most effective treatment programs are residential though this can also be performed in an outpatient medical setting that is also staffed with licensed drug therapists and drug-rehabilitation counselors.
Detoxification usually takes one to three weeks, depending on the patient’s medical condition and potential health complications.
Medical Insurance Coverage
Unfortunately, most health insurance plans do not fully cover detoxification treatment services.
Billions Made On Oxycontin Products
Reported sales of Oxycontin in the United States have exceeded many billions of dollars.
Physicians write thousands of Oxycontin triplicate-based prescriptions every month, and pharmacies are ready and willing to fill them.
This has made the availability of the drug common and, therefore, widely accessible in the medicine cabinets of our homes and on the streets and playgrounds of local communities.
It is an ugly, vicious cycle that begins with bliss and pain reduction and ends with an insatiable need to continue taking the drug indefinitely.
When Withdrawl Symptoms Surface
Close Family and Friends Are Needed The Most
Withdrawal symptoms surface as the body seeks to compensate for the increased dopamine levels and resulting euphoria. Oxycontin addiction slowly but surely creeps up on the individual until feeding the habit becomes a full-time obsession.
Family and close friends are encouraged to seek out addiction and rehabilitative help for their loved ones.
Criminal And Civil Liability of Doctors and Medical Professionals
Doctors As Criminal Targets
The DOJ investigations led by the Drug Enforcement Administration have arrested doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals nationwide on federal charges of distributing dangerous and highly addictive opioids to the black market and by over-prescribing these drugs to their patients.
The targets were accused and indicted of illegally distributing drugs by acting outside their professional practices and without a lawful or legitimate medical purpose.
Prosecutors charged doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners with illegally prescribing opioids with the full knowledge that their patients were physically and mentally addicted to the drugs and doing so solely for financial gain.
In other cases, practitioners took advantage of their insider status to obtain illicit narcotics.
Types of Federal Charges Doctors and Medical Professionals Can Face
Drug Trafficking
Suppose a doctor knowingly prescribed controlled substances with no legitimate medical purpose and were not in the ordinary course of their usual medical practice. In that case, the doctor and other medical professionals involved as accessories can be charged with drug trafficking crimes.
Racketeering And Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics
When more than one person conspires to engage in prescription drug fraud, the criminal actors of such acts can be charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act – otherwise known as RICO, which prohibits racketeering as a criminal enterprise and which includes within its legal definition drug trafficking.
Healthcare Fraud
Doctors face substantial criminal felony exposure should they over-prescribe dangerous narcotics such as Oxycontin and Oxycodone and charge Medicare and Medicaid for reimbursement of their services.
Penalties for Prescription Fraud Carry Serious Penalties
Being charged with criminal over-prescribing can be a felony and, depending on the case, can result in multiple-year prison terms, fines, and the loss of one’s medical license.
Consult A Criminal Defense Lawyer
Should you have specific questions or require additional information about your legal rights and obligations, we recommend you consult a verified Criminal Defense Lawyer as soon as possible.
