Attorney Brad Koffel is slated to speak at the Columbus Bar Association’s
latest CLE on the criminal consequences of opiate over-prescription.
“The Criminal Consequences of Opiate Over-Prescription” is
a timely topic in light of the first murder conviction handed down to
a doctor for over-prescribing drugs.
Attorney Brad Koffel will be discussing the landmark case at a continuing legal education (CLE) class tomorrow.
The California doctor was recently sentenced to 30 years-to-life in prison
for the murder of three of her patients. Never before has a doctor been
held responsible for murder because of over-prescribing drugs.
Paul Coleman, president and CEO of Maryhaven (Central Ohio’s oldest
addiction and mental illness treatment center), will kick off the seminar
with a presentation on the nature of addictive illnesses.
Commenting on the California case, Coleman stated, “Whether you represent
providers or patients, you’re going to be affected by this.”
Seminar attendees can expect to learn about developing case law in the
arena of prescription drugs, over-prescription, and addiction. This case
has ramifications for nearly every area of law.
Ohio Prescription Drug Statistics
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ohio’s
prescription drug rate falls in the range of 96-143 for every 100 residents.
That means that there can be more prescriptions than people in the state of Ohio. - Between 2002 and 2013, heroin-related overdose deaths just about quadrupled.
- Between 2013 and 2014, Ohio’s drug overdose death rate increased by 18%.
- Ohio is one of the only states in the U.S. to have had their overdose death
rate significantly spike during this period. - Statistics from Maryhaven revealed that the drug of choice for 38% of patients
was opiates.
Prescription painkillers are one of the most common gateways to heroin,
so a large emphasis has been placed on both supply and demand reduction.
To learn more about what Koffel Brininger Nesbitt is doing about the opiate
epidemic, visit their
Preventative Law practice.
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