The Los Angeles Times Reports On The Arrest Of A Doctor Accused Of Dealing Prescription Painkillers, Resulting In Multiple Deaths

In the Los Angeles Times today (1-5-2012), there is an important investigative piece about the arrest of Dr. Julio Diaz for allegedly prescribing addictive prescription painkillers to patients who had no legitimate need for the medications. In the article by Hailey Branson-Potts, Lisa Girion and Scott Glover, they report the story of the Santa Barbara doctor who has been linked by authorities to a dozen drug-related deaths in recent years.

After doing so much extreme damage to his community, Dr Diaz finally finally was arrested by DEA agents on federal drug trafficking charges. ONE80CENTER fully supports the regulative monitoring of the medical industry to make sure that the public is protected from such pill mill-like doctors. Yes, we know that most of the people getting the prescriptions have substance abuse disorders, but it does not help their disease to have easy access to prescription painkillers. It is a recipe for disaster.

Doctor Arrested For Dealing Prescription Painkillers

Here is an excerpt from the Los Angeles Times article that has been edited and shortened:

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The arrest of Dr. Julio Diaz, 63, is a step in the right direction given the multitude of overdose deaths of his patients. Diaz has been under investigation for years for allegedly prescribing addictive painkillers to patients who had no legitimate need for the medications. The deaths are detailed in a 75-page arrest affidavit unsealed Wednesday afternoon after he was taken into custody. The deceased patients ranged in age from 26 to 58.

Among those who died: A 49-year-old father who overdosed on painkillers after recently completing a 60-day drug rehab and a 35-year-old mother found dead in her bedroom by her young daughter. In addition, the affidavit described a father distraught in the emergency room where his 20-year-old son had been brought for a drug overdose. He later learned that Diaz had been prescribing “huge quantities” of drugs to his son, who told investigators that he learned of Diaz from a fellow inmate in county jail. Three other parents made complaints to the Medical Board of California regarding Diaz’s treatment of their children, the affidavit states.

The affidavit depicts Diaz as a drug-dealing doctor known to some patients as “the candy man … because they knew he was the man to go to for drugs.” Two female patients treated at a local emergency room told hospital staff that they and their friends got drugs from Diaz in exchange for sexual favors. Doctors at a local hospital considered Diaz such a menace that they kept a spreadsheet documenting his patients’ emergency room visits. Dr. Chris Lambert said he and colleagues watched in frustration for years as one Diaz patient after another turned up in his emergency room. ”How many deceased patients and bereaved relatives will it take before somebody says no more?”

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Abuse Of Prescription Painkillers Is A Plague In America Today

ONE80CENTER utterly agrees with what was expressed by Dr. Lambert because we experience the same horror with so many of our clients and potential clients on a regular basis. It is hard to even estimate how many client we have seen enter treatment for addiction to prescription painkillers. The vast majority of those patients were first prescribed those prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Percocet by their own doctors. The Clinical Team and Expert Staff of ONE80CENTER wholeheartedly echo Dr. Lambert’s tragic sentiment: “How many deceased patients and bereaved relatives will it take before somebody says no more?” It is time to put an end to the pill mills!

 

Mind you, such a sentiment is not only in connection with the criminal abuses of Dr. Diaz, but with the problem of prescription painkillers and substance abuse across the board. Let’s be perfectly clear – the abuse of prescription drugs is a plague that has been ravaging our country for many years, and it is only getting worse. Are you tired of watching friends and family suffer such devastating consequences?

ONE80CENTER commends the Southern California families who made reports to the Medical Board of California about the criminal behavior of Dr. Julio Diaz. It took real courage to take this step and take significant action. After all, if we are not at the forefront of this battle, then we will continue to see the bodies piling up and the overdoses becoming an almost daily occurrence. Enough is enough!