Theodore Obermeyer, the manager of a pain clinic in the George network of pill mills, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Joey Bartolucci. Bartolucci was 24 when he overdosed on pain pills. Obermeyer pleaded guilty to one count each of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. Under the plea agreement, Obermeyer’s potential prison sentence will be capped at 20 years.
Obermeyer previously received a 12 year federal prison sentence on charges connected to his part in the pain pill network. Obermeyer is scheduled to begin serving that sentence in April. The judge has scheduled a status hearing for the plea agreement for September.
Both George brothers have been sentenced to prison terms for their part in furthering prescription drug addiction in Florida.
Posts Tagged ‘Prescription drug addiction’
Pain Clinic Manager Pleads Guilty
Thursday, January 26th, 201220% of Auto Deaths Tested Positive for Drugs
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010A new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that about 1 in 5 drivers who were killed last year in car accidents tested positive for drugs. The researchers said the news highlighted an increasing problem of people driving under the influence of drugs.
In 2009, drugs were implicated in almost 4,000 drivers who died, or 18 percent of the almost 22,000 drivers last year. In 2005 drugs were found in the systems of 13 percent of the more than 27,000 drivers killed in car accidents.
“Drugged driving is as inexcusable as drunk driving or driving irresponsibly,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator head David Strickland.
The report did not give definite proof that the drugs caused the fatal crashes. The tests included heroin, methadone, morphine, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, LSD, prescription drugs and inhalants. The amount of time the drug or drugs could stay in the body varied by the type of substance, therefore it was unclear when the drivers had taken the drugs before the accidents.
Who’s Going to Regulate Prescription Drugs?
Friday, November 12th, 2010
In 2009, prescription drugs killed almost 2,500 Floridians. That is almost seven deaths each day, and this year it is predicted those numbers would climb even higher.
“It’s terribly tragic because each one of those numbers represents a human being,” said Bruce Grant, the director of the Florida Office of Drug Control
Prescription drug addiction is a problem that crosses every demographic of society. The person who sees the unfortunate end to prescription drug use is the chief medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties.
“I think it’s a total waste of human life,” said Dr. Jan Garavaglia. “It’s not a good road. It’s a dead-end road.”
Garavaglia has completed autopsies on people as young as 15 who have died from prescription drug use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that visits to the emergency room for prescription drug use and its complications increased more than 111 percent from 2004 to 2008. In 2008 alone, there were more than 305,900 visits to the emergency room across the country for medical problems stemming from prescription drug use.
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Prescription Drug Radio
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Dr. Larry Golbom is addressing the subject of prescription drug abuse on the radio. The Tampa area pharmacist has experience with the subject – his son struggled with an addiction to prescription drugs.
“Prescription Addiction Radio” takes to the airwaves every Sunday night. Golbom believes it is the first and only radio program of its kind in the country.
“We have an epidemic that continues to grow,” Golbom said. “We have to first have some honest discussion. We don’t have that right now.
Golbom believes that his radio program will help bring what has been a taboo subject into mainstream discussion.
“What is it going to take for America to start talking about the issue of drugs and how it’s affecting every community in the country?”
For more information, go to
www.prescriptionaddictionradio.com
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