Posted 4/23/2006 11:02:00 AM by Douglas

Read the headline:

2 men face sentencing for narcotics distribution

Another causality in the ridiculous war on drugs? Sadly, no.

An Oxnard physician and a Ventura pharmacist charged with illegally distributing large quantities of prescription painkillers have agreed to plead guilty in federal court.

Dr. Michael Huff, a family practitioner, will spend three years in a minimum-security federal prison in exchange for pleading guilty to one count of unlawfully distributing narcotics, his attorney Mark Beck of Los Angeles said. Richard Ozar, who owns the Victoria Village Pharmacy, is expected to receive six months of home detention in exchange for a similar plea, his attorney, Victor Sherman, said.

I sure as hell don't know whether or not the two men were engaged in nefarious tactics to get narcotics on the street, and I know for a fact that he wouldn't be the first doctor to use his script pad to make some quick cash on the side. But it's statements like this made by the U.S. attorney that make me wince:

According to the indictments, Huff, 57, over-prescribed medications that Ozar, 61, filled. Because the prescriptions were for such huge amounts, Huff and Ozar must have known the drugs would end up in the hands of dealers and recreational users, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Young said.

It's so comforting to know that the Justice Department hires such clairvoyant attorneys as Mr. Young. I'll be Dr. Huff knows a lot more about what it's like to be in chronic pain than an attorney does. The only reasonable outcome to all this would be for Mr. Young to have the misfortune of suffering from chronic pain, and be deprived of narcotic pain relievers because his doctor is afraid of overzealous prosecutors.