The Las Vegas Badger is about politics, humor, sports, reality shows in Las Vegas, especially Pawn Stars and anything else interesting. While I live in Las Vegas, my heart is still in Wisconsin. Thanks for visiting the blog and feel free to browse the web site.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
DEA Out Of Control In Las Vegas
The DEA in Las Vegas must be feeling like they need to defend their funding and to be relevant in Las Vegas. The DEA has gone after medical pot people lately, making big arrests and confiscating very small amounts of drugs. Now, they have charged a doctor with murder because of his prescription of medicines to a patient who had chronic pain. This bogus arrest has outraged the medical community in the the Las Vegas Valley and I don't blame them. And no, we are not talking about the doctor from Las Vegas who is accussed of killing Michael Jackson. From the LVRJ: After the arrest of Dr. Richard Teh last month on a murder charge for prescribing drugs to a patient who subsequently died, Dr. William Van Tobel sent an incensed email to fellow physicians in the Las Vegas Valley. "It is not just Richard Teh on trial for murder. We are all on trial," he wrote. "We need to protest. ... Talk to our federal representatives. ... Until this ridiculous and outrageous charge of murder is dropped ... why would I or any primary care provider prescribe any chronic pain medication? I know, and even briefly worked with, Dr. Teh. He is not a cash for drugs doctor." Nothing, other than the cost of malpractice insurance, has galvanized the local medical community more in recent years than Teh's arrest. A Drug Enforcement Administration task force arrested the 49-year-old internist March 8 for prescribing pain medication that authorities say led to 39-year-old Lisa Blythe's death in 2007. Charged with murder, Teh is free on $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for May 18. The Nevada State Medical Board has not taken any action against his license. An angry Dr. Mitchell Forman, president of the Clark County Medical Society, recently wrote in the society's bulletin: "The accounts that I heard from a reliable source was that five armed DEA and law enforcement officers entered the doctor's office, handcuffed him and escorted him to the Clark County Detention Center in front of his patients and staff." Forman has no doubt that the raid would have consequences far beyond Teh's arrest. He wrote: "I predict that many more patients in chronic pain will not be treated." Primary care doctor after primary care doctor, including the family practitioner Joseph DiPalma and the internist Ivan Goldsmith, say they have backed away from prescribing pain medication. Any prescription, they note, may be used in an unauthorized, illegitimate way, opening them up to an expensive criminal defense and a possible life sentence behind bars. Patients who suffer from chronic pain now are often forced to visit expensive pain specialists who are so overburdened that it may take several weeks to get an appointment. http://www.lvrj.com/news/doctors-defend-colleague-arrested-on-murder-charge-119140369.html I may be a person who could be affected as I have chronic pain in my back and shoulders stemming from an accident I had when I was a volunteer firefighter when I lived in that strange state in the Midwest. And I use the services of a pain doctor. Having said this, at best, this is an instance of making a mistake when prescribing medicine, which is an inexact science, at best. Further, if the doctor is negligent criminally, then what about the pharmacist that prescribes the medicine? Don't they have a criminal liability if the doctor does? The DEA needs to concentrate on doctors who abuse medication or prescribe medicine like it is candy, not make criminals out of doctors who may have made a mistake. But I guess, when you act like jack booted thugs by dragging a doctor out of his office in front of his employees and patients, you are not going to worry about a little thing about ethics or the consequences of your actions.
Thousands of patients who use prescription medications have to suffer to acquire them, first by the high cost and second because it is difficult to obtain them without a prescription. Many of them have to travel to Florida to buy at a clinic for the pain but it mentions Findrxonline that these clinics are being evaluated by the Government to deliver these drugs without proper restrictions and even large quantities can be obtained. More information can be found online on pain clinics and prescription medications.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lilly. For those who have terrible pain, many are disabled because of it and loittle income. they have problems with their insurance, if they have insurance.
ReplyDeleteNow, the DEA is going to make it even more expensive and difficult to obtain pain medication.
Thanks, DEA.
The DEA was created in 1970 under President Nixon to give him a weopon to use against young Vietnam War protestors who also used drugs. They have failed miserably to "win the Drug War" and now appear to be trying to justify their jobs by harrassing doctors. Its true that we as a nation we have a huge drug abuse problem - but should taking a legal or illegal substance in order to feel better be a crime in a free society? We would all be better of if the DEA were closed for good. Drug policing should be left to professional law enforcement....not to DEA thugs.....and if we had any leaders with brains, someone might realize that we are now repeating the mistakes of the alcohol prohibition of the 1920s. For now, most doctors will have to curtail all prescribing of controlled substances and people who need pain or other controlled medicines are going to have to bite the bullet and suffer. If you are one of them, its time to phone your elected representatives and tell them to fix this....and we badly need a congressional committee to investigate the need to continue the DEA.
ReplyDeleteAmen
DeleteRegarding Dr. Teh: This is an injustice of the highest order. He is one of the most dedicated, professional, and courteous primary- care physicians practicing in Las Vegas. To maliciously harm a patient would by totally contrary to anything I know about the man. The DEA personnel involved in this witch-hunt travesty should be reprimanded or fired.
ReplyDeletefirst I would like to say that Dr. Teh is the most amazing and caring doctor I have ever been to in my life. This is such a tragedy for all party's involved! as for the woman who lost her life weather she was a drug addict or just a woman in alot of pain maybe the person or people who should be arrested are those who were with her daily who knew the behavior change when she was over dosing herself. who do you really blame here??? Dr.Teh would never do anything to harm anyone, I pray this will all be dropped and Dr. Teh recieves a formal apology from the DEA as well as the womans Family who gained a redicules amount of money. I stand beside Dr. Teh 100%. my name is Kathy O and my two daughters and I are patients of Dr. Teh.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy and good luck. Sounds like Dr. Teh is a caring doctor who got screwed by the Gestapo DEA. Yes, the DEA has a job to do when it comes to illegal drugs but they have gone to far and to the point that many pain doctors will stop their practice because of the regulations, the paper work and the threats from the DEA, Metro and the different medical government agencies.
ReplyDeletethe case was dismissed today with prejudice. dr teh is innocent!
ReplyDeleteCool, that is great news. Now, where does he get his reputation back?
ReplyDeleteSince when did the DEA BECOME Doctors its all about money. And your political reps let it go in one ear and out the the other. First of all medication pain medication I take is legal the FDA deemed it lega,l how can DEA come in and tell you you can't have that or tell the doctors they can't prescribeit or tell the pharmacy they can't be distributing with a doctors script. This is government trying to take over our rights and personal affairs. Another point is that the doctor and patient relationship not being considered it is ridiculous we need to come together and get rid of Las Vegas DEA. All we need is a platform to get the message out to state. What happened to are we the people by the people for the people. Stand up people and call you elected officials constantly and tell them to stop DEA in Las Vegas Nevada especially. I can go to almost every state in the United States and get this particular pain medications that I take without a problem. The medication don't kill people. Its the people
ReplyDeleteResponsibility to not over does, its overdoseing people that kill them self. As far as I'm concern DEA is causing more problems then are solving
The DEA are causing more illegal situations, by targeting all people and not just the ones they need to be getting. That's not the answer DEA of lasvegas. You think that it was a problem before now it's going to be a big problem because you haveforced the people going to the street trying to get this particular medication. Where is your strategy the best things we the people can do right now,, is to find an attorney that can do a class action lawsuit against DEA for their wrongful actions. right now the medication I take is legal legal legal get it big brother and all for the money and power. DEA you will not stop drugs illegal drugs prescription drugs from being used wrongfully by doing what you're doing. you need to get off your ass and find the people that are trying to kill themselves. Everything narcotic that is prescribed it has this same affect. So now you think you are qualified to tell us what is good for us and what is not I think knock. Signed a 62 year old male that is in lots of pain lots of pain. not just any pain medication release everybody the same way do not work for others and vice versa
ReplyDeleteNo one knows chronic pain except those who suffer it. To
ReplyDeleterestrict pain medication to the pharmacy is government interference in the practice of medicine. Many pain sufferers are at best inconvenienced and at worst in terrible pain. Lets find a way to get the government out of the pain relief business.
and a
Thanks anon, great points. You are right about those of us who suffer chronic pain. The government has harmed us instead of helping us and that is not the role of government.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the exciting blog posting! I really enjoyed reading it
ReplyDeleteSearch for Las vegas pain clinic
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ReplyDelete