For doctors who prescribe prescription medication outside of accepted medical standards, they run the risk of being charged with federal crimes just as any regular street-level drug dealer would be under 21 U.S.C. § 841. Controlled substances and prescription drugs may be dispensed lawfully by means of a prescription if that prescription is issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner acting in the usual course of his or her professional practice. 21 C.F.R. § 1306.04(a).

Increasingly, federal prosecutors are pursuing doctors who the Government alleges are writing improper and medically unnecessary prescriptions. So-called “pill mills” are becoming easy targets for prosecution. Pain management clinics are usual suspects for improperly issuing medications, including OxyContin, oxycodone, methadone, Methadose, Percocet and Endocet. These controlled substances, if administered improperly, can result in a medical provider being charged under the same laws as a drug dealer dispensing crack cocaine or heroin.