The opioid epidemic that has emerged in many areas throughout our nation often brings grief and sorrow. Many of the opioids are legally prescribed by doctors. This means that doctors need to have the utmost care in understanding the patient’s needs and medical history. Unfortunately, there have been cases in the news in which doctors have failed their patients, resulting in over prescriptions and a lethal combination of prescribed medications.

In a recent case in California, nine doctors are facing legal accusations from the California state medical board. Many of the doctors are facing claims of overprescribing large amounts of opioids, which resulted in multiple overdoses. At least one of the doctors prescribed a combination of opiates despite the patient already being on methadone which resulted in the death of the patient. Most of the doctors also face issues regarding documentation errors, including failures to adequately examine the patients’ records. The California state medical board has deemed these violations an “extreme departure from the standard of care”.

These cases present incredibly important issues in the medical field, particularly the balance between the pain of the patient and the safety of the medications. Carelessness in balancing these can result in tragic consequences.

[The Calif. Docs Accused of Overprescribing Opioids](https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/opioids/74929)