Defense Attorney for Doctor Shopping Charges in San Diego
Finding yourself with a doctor shopping charge in San Diego can not only be embarrassing, but it can also permanently threaten your criminal record. It can have a detrimental effect on your job or career, in addition to possible jail time or costly fines. At the Law Offices at Bradley Corbett, we know that if you are like the majority of those who ended up with a doctor shopping charge, you probably didn’t get into your particular situation on purpose.
Many people who are accused of doctor shopping were at one point prescribed powerful narcotics to treat pain that they experienced from a major injury or as a result of an invasive surgery. Others may have certain conditions that are regularly treated with stimulants or depressants. In any case, the prescription drugs are very powerful, and can be highly addictive. It’s not uncommon for patients to become heavily dependent on these controlled prescription medications and seek out other options to get them when the dose prescribed from their physician runs out, or isn’t strong enough for what they think they need.
California’s Definition of Doctor Shopping
In the State of California, doctor shopping is defined as the act of using multiple providers and/or pharmacies to obtain or attempt to obtain multiple prescriptions for controlled substances by fraud or concealing important information from the various providers. This statute is found in the California Health & Safety Code Section 11173(a).
In other words, if someone intentionally uses deceit, misrepresentation, or concealment of information to obtain or attempt to obtain controlled substances, they can be accused of doctor shopping.
Controlled substances in the state of California are generally classified into three categories: opiates, depressants, and stimulants. Opiates include common pain prescriptions like morphine, Percocet, Vicodin, hydrocodone, OxyContin, oxycodone, and valium, to name a few. Common depressants include prescriptions like Xanax, valium, and Ambien, while common stimulants including Adderall and Ritalin.
Addiction and Doctor Shopping Charges
At the Law Offices of Bradley Corbett, we never look at our clients as criminals. We consider ourselves working for good people who just made a mistake, and that is especially the case with our clients who have been accused of doctor shopping. Most often, these charges involve people who are not average lawbreakers. Instead, they are legitimately in pain, or became severely dependent on the drugs because they were in severe pain at one point. Dependency or addiction to prescription drugs can be difficult to overcome, but we help our clients know that there is hope. Taking action now to improve their situation can prevent them from other uncharacteristic behavior in the future as a result of their addiction, such as prescription forgery, purchasing or selling controlled substances on the street, or burglary.
As a San Diego criminal defense attorney, Bradley Corbett works tirelessly to help his clients receive the best possible outcomes for their case. For his clients charged with doctor shopping, Bradley Corbett always has the goal of reducing their charges or helping them get their charges dismissed entirely.
Penalties for Doctor Shopping
In California, doctor shopping can be treated as either a felony or misdemeanor depending on the case. If convicted of doctor shopping, people can be punished with up to three years in the California state prison or up to one year in a county jail.
Why leave the future of your criminal record to chance? Contact the Law Offices of Bradley Corbett today to learn how we can help you fight your California doctor shopping charges. We’ll give your case the attention and effort it deserves to help you get the best outcome possible.