By Sari Horwitz and Sari Horwitz Reporter covering the Justice Department and criminal justice issues for The Washington Post's national security team Email Bio Follow Scott Higham Scott Higham Investigative reporter Email Bio Follow April 17 at 11:00 AM Dozens of medical professionals in five states were charged Wednesday with participating in the illegal prescribing of more than 32 million pain pills, including doctors who prosecutors said traded sex for prescriptions and a dentist who...
The indictments are part of a broader effort by the Justice Department to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic, which claimed the lives of 47,600 people in 2017 alone, the latest year that federal overdose data is available. Benczkowski said he created the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force late last year to target the region, which has been devastated by the epidemic. The department analyzed several databases to identify suspicious prescribing activity and sent 14 prosecutors to nine federal districts there.
The numbers of pills is staggering but this is nothing new. Many storefront “medical offices” in Appalachia. Addicts flock to the area in search of these (alleged) Hippocratic oath violators
I'm so surprised that these random people actually did a this stuff, oh wait. Just cause their doctors doesn't mean anything. Nothing does. People are people.
benshapiro Anything from deserves no likes or re-tweets. They are FakeNews!
benshapiro Why would you need painkillers for cash? I mean, sometimes it does burn a hole in my pocket, but it doesn’t really hurt. I don’t really want to talk about the other thing.
if a equals on prostitute charges made it all the more simpler accurate and real for no charges at all would you be bribery in charges on doctors about misdemeanor charges to probation for it all WhiteHouseHstry WaldorfNYC Cartier Fond_Cartier nytimes
The way the headline is written, it sounds like the pills provide cash and sex.
benshapiro It's about damn time someone in West Virginia was caught, this has been one hell of a problem here.
Why the electoral college needs to go
UNSUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL
Sasa2455 We should build a wall around these five states.
FFS
“Do no harm” isn’t a slogan, it’s an oath. Lock these assholes up.
If Doctors gave diagnoses & pharmacists filled prescriptions based on those diagnoses then we would have Drs doing this crap.
jaketapper Never in a City near me.
If sex is being used as parallel currency, it can be given status of an 'industry' 😄😀😉 realDonaldTrump
Is this for real?
How much worse will this make the lives of ChronicPain patients who depend on legitimate prescription pain medication to live their lives? More opioidhysteria? More ForcedTapering? More SuicideDue2Pain? Spoonies OpioidCrisis opioid cpp invisibleillness eds
Another free mealer will have the decency of the system for all sick people who wear their own guns and have to spend time in their own homes with their own country
As a United States Citizen I and my fellow citizens deserve to know the Names, States immediately.
Beer, Spirits and Wine distributors are 100 times more controlled.
Unlawful distribution? They should be charged with murder.
From those of us who have lived and worked in Eastern Kentucky. 'You're just now finding this out?'
Drug dealers. Thugs. Show their mug shots!
Taking advantage of the socially and economical depressed regions of predominately White folks (Appalachia) Shows the Govt., doesn't care about you-long as they get their kickbacks. They get 'em 'dicted - then lock'em up - rinse - repeat.
benshapiro
benshapiro Big yikes
benshapiro Meanwhile living with neuropothy and bursitis in my back when it comes to pain meds all I get is, 'sorry this clinic does not prescribe those' fuck each and every last one of these people, pain management is already bullshit as is.
benshapiro Bernie thinks they should still be allowed to vote
benshapiro It’s not surprising for us living in the area it just sad really really sad.
benshapiro I’ll throw you a few bucks, but you’re on your own with the sex, doc.
benshapiro We should check with benshapiro about this. His totally real wife is a doctor. Maybe she's behind all the opiates? He probably can't see onto the counter where she keeps them. Should we crowdfund a stepstool for lil' Ben?
jaketapper Do no harm.
benshapiro They should be charged with 32,000,000 counts of attempted murder. Should stop these Dr's from taking the temptation of quick $$.
And we should all trust our doctors because they always know what’s best for us.
benshapiro Jesus...
Good ol Appalachia
benshapiro No... This is horrific! I wish it weren’t true.
benshapiro Pays to be a doctor.
jaketapper They managed to dispense 32 MILLION pills before anyone figured out something was going on? Wow!
jaketapper But Trump (Cheeto Jesus) tells us that we need to close the southern border to stop all the drugs from pouring in.
Damn.
jaketapper Some may see jail time. Though, real culprits ie: execs at Perdue etc. get slapped with measly fines while millions suffer the addictions of their products.
It’s Appalachia. Is anyone really that surprised? This type of stuff has been going on for awhile
Relatively speaking...
benshapiro That’s just what Kamala Harris, the Political Prostitute, did with the married Willie Brown! Traded sex for power and money 💴!
benshapiro And, as this happens, laws go into effect that hurt those who really need the meds and use them responsibly. In the end, it's those in need who suffer the most.
Damn immigrants and their drugs.....oh, wait.
BAD, America, gone crazy, N last 2'years' Try's 2, get by'with any&everything!
benshapiro I’m glad I’m required to do the 2 hour CME course each year to fix the opioid problem
Build the wall!
benshapiro They are going down. I mean the doctors this time.
benshapiro Aren’t they a bunch in breeds in that area?
Appalachian voters are pained.
benshapiro Are we still wondering how the drug problem got so out of control?
Good news, there are job openings for ethical medical practioners in a low cost state.
“Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama and West Virginia.” Is this how you’re serving your constituents? senatemajldr RandPaul MarshaBlackburn SenAlexander Sen_JoeManchin SenCapito SenSherrodBrown robportman DougJones SenShelby
benshapiro No different from any other drug dealer. They just happen to have a degree.
jaketapper Isn't that coal mining country?
benshapiro joerogan ?
Disgusting taking advantage of people like that.
benshapiro Doesn't surprise me in this moral depraved modern world we live in today.
benshapiro Are people actually surprised at this. It’s not even news
Tell me about it when they are convicted.
jaketapper Of course it’s Appalachia. mypeeps
jaketapper Another blow to our fragile barter economy.
lura_ks1972 And when will big Pharma's execs be prosecuted and convicted?
It's a shame to the health profession.
How's taking pain killers helping to get cash and sex, what am I missing?
Do we need a national emergency border wall around Appalachia?
Hi everyone! Just a friendly reminder - perform random acts of kindness everyday. Accept and tolerate all people. Be the best version of you. Our mission is to save the world through kindness, love and volunteer/humanitarian work.
It's almost as if white collar crime flies under the radar because ppl have a college degree or two. Oh, wait... TeaTime WednesdayThoughts opioidepidemic
Yea but none of the lawmakers like MarshaBlackburn who pushed for a law that virtually stopped DEA from oversight into massive amounts of drugs flowing into these areas will face any consequence. In fact she got rewarded as a drug pusher and is now a senator. America
All 5 states are Trump country.
Bout time
Keep the South uneducated, obese, & high & they’ll keep voting Republican.
If you need pain killers for sex....you may just be doing it wrong.
Weird phrasing on that headline.
Clinic 1: Opioids delivered ... 2 cases Clinic 2: Opioids delivered ... 1 case Clinic 3: Opioids delivered ... 23 cases Clinic 4: Opioids delivered ... 2 cases Clinic 5: Opioids delivered ... 2 cases Authorities: If only a way we could have these criminals stand out
You know what’s even more scandalous? People that actually need them, can’t get any help. Raise your hand if you’ve had major surgery and was prescribed Tylenol 3- 🙋🏻♀️
What?!? I thought we lived in America!!
LockThemUp
So these drugs didn't come through the border or a port of entry. They came from inside the US. We know who the enemy is... it is us.
Cash AND sex? Imagine that.
Huh, wouldn't have guessed this would be the article to pull the loonies out of the woodwork today, but here they are
I'm soooo surpris....oh wait I'm not
feat. Monsanto
In the end this will hurt people who need the pain killers
This is much safer than relying on shady street level drug dealers. Kudos to these docs for creating a better alternative
What is Trump going to do with these drug dealers
Build the Wall though
What’s the bartering for this ? 1 oxy = bj?
32 million pain pills? That’s a lot of unnecessary addiction right there. My heart breaks for their “patients”.
uk new law by mrs may soon ,porn passport for public from uk police station if you not got on you be fined
The 60 people indicted include 31 doctors, seven pharmacists, eight nurse practitioners and seven other licensed medical professionals.
These doctors should get life in prison for prescribing drugs for sex
Cash 💰 and sex? Wow 😮
Appalachia - Enuf Said.
Wow ,, I did not know that pain-killers are used for these conditions of cash and sexual behavior ,,, has science got this one wrong as well
This should be interesting when Appalachia’s doctors get imprisoned, further hampering the already depressed region.
Was it cash and sex or sex and cash? Be more specific please.
All those years of studying to become a doctor just to prey on the most vulnerable. Terrible.
The only time the MSM doesn't mention color or political party.. when a Democrat is involved.
The wall will stop them doing that. Oh wait....
ridiculous
Viagra is better for sex than pain killers unless you are doing it wrong
Sex for drugs? Never seen that before...
Wow how did those pills make it across the southern border? Please explain Q!