America is battling the opioid painkiller epidemic on many fronts. The resistance is made up of more than just law enforcement professionals and the perpetrators are not mere street dealers. As a matter of fact, a great deal of blame can be placed on so-called legitimate healthcare sources.
So where does consumer law enter the picture? If you are seeing a doctor for pain management, you have every right to feel safe following that person’s prescriptions and professional advice. Without a license, that same doctor is nothing more than a drug dealer.
Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Division of Consumer Affairs recently announced that Dr. Binod Sinha, a Middlesex County pain management doctor, had his license permanently revoked after getting caught on hidden video prescribing opioid pain pills to an undercover investigator in exchange for cash. Dr. Sinha admitted to prescribing highly addictive opioid pain medications and other controlled dangerous substances ​to patients without medical justification.
The undercover state investigator secretly recorded the visit. The officer paid $200 cash for 60 extremely potent pain pills. The videotape ultimately reveals Dr. Sinha to be little more than a drug dealer.
The State Board of Medical Examiners permanently revoked Sinha’s license to practice medicine after concluding that he completely violated his fundamental obligations as a physician. Not only did he facilitate the abuse and diversion of controlled dangerous substances, but he placed both his patients and the public in grave danger. No medical necessity was established before prescribing opioids. There were no diagnostic studies ordered or imaging studies obtained. No effort was made to monitor improvement in patients while on opioids. The list goes on.
We must rely on the cooperation of both the legal and medical profession to defeat this epidemic. Ridding this country of corrupt doctors is just one facet to this victory.
The Law Office of H. Benjamin Sharlin LLC
is owned and operated by H. Benjamin Sharlin and serves all of Mercer County, New Jersey and the surrounding areas. Mr. Sharlin is a bilingual Spanish-speaking attorney who vigorously represents the interests of all his clients.
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