Patients from five states drove hundreds of miles to see him, spending up to 16 hours on the road to get prescriptions for oxycodone and other powerful painkillers.
By the time drug enforcement agents swooped into his small medical office in Martinsville, Virginia, in 2017, Dr. Joel Smithers had prescribed about a half a million doses of highly addictive opioids in two years.
Authorities say that, instead of running a legitimate medical practice, Smithers headed an interstate drug distribution ring that contributed to the opioid abuse epidemic in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. A receptionist testified that patients would wait up to 12 hours to see Smithers, who sometimes kept his office open past midnight. Smithers did not accept insurance and took in close to $700,000 in cash and credit card payments over two years.
Andrew Kolodny, a Brandeis University doctor who has long been critical of opioids, said that in recent years, doctors became less comfortable writing lots of opioid prescriptions and many big prescribers retired. That opened an opportunity for others. Once, he met a woman in the parking lot of a Starbucks, she handed him $300 and he gave her a prescription for fentanyl, an opioid pain reliever that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Carrie Ann Inaba Says Her Doctor Forgot to Tell Her She Had LupusThe Talk's Carrie Ann Inaba opened up about her lupus diagnosis on Thursday's episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Read more »
Former U.S. Indian Health Service Doctor Is Found Guilty of Abusing BoysStanley Patrick Weber, a former U.S. government pediatrician, was found guilty on all eight counts of sexually abusing young Native American boys, his second sex-crimes conviction
Read more »
He shot his girlfriend in the head but didn't tell her. She finally went to the doctor, and now he's going to prisonA Georgia woman and her ex-boyfriend were arguing in her car two years ago when her driver's side window shattered and she blacked out. She had been shot in the head but survived, and her boyfriend didn't tell her what he'd done. Now he's going to prison.
Read more »
Florida man pleads guilty to kidnapping plastic surgeon and torturing him with blowtorchA Florida man pleaded guilty to charges in connection with kidnapping a plastic surgeon and burning his hands with a blowtorch.
Read more »
'The Situation' Shares His and Lauren's 'First Date Night' Post-PrisonMike 'The Situation' Sorrentino is enjoying life after prison. ❤️
Read more »
https://people.comGet the latest news about celebrities, royals, music, TV, and real people. Find exclusive content, including photos and videos, on PEOPLE.com.
Read more »