Oxycodone - The Law

The Law

The drugs in the oxycodone family are Schedule II substances as defined by the U.S. Controlled Substances Act of 1970. The U.S. government deems these medicines useful, but also dangerous due to their high potential for addiction and overdose.

It is against state and federal law to obtain a prescription for oxycodone when not in pain. It is illegal to seek multiple prescriptions from different doctors. That is called "doctor shopping." It is unlawful to sell or give a prescription to someone else, even if that person is sick and in pain. It is also against the law to forge a prescription or to alter a prescription—for instance, adding another "0" to 30, in order to make it 300. An alert pharmacist can usually spot forged or altered prescriptions and will telephone the prescribing doctor for confirmation.

The DEA monitors doctors who dispense prescriptions for Schedule II drugs. Some doctors have been convicted and imprisoned for writing too many prescriptions for oxycodone drugs, or for selling the drugs on site. In 2002, a Florida doctor was sentenced to more than sixty years in prison after four of his patients overdosed on OxyContin. Florida prosecutors proved that the doctor was running a "pill mill," selling to addicts and drug dealers.

Legal Consequences

Sentences for possession and sale of Schedule II controlled substances vary from state to state and can be harsh. First-time offenders are usually ordered into rehab programs, placed on probation, and given fines and random drug tests for up to a year after the court date. Dealers often face jail time and criminal records that can forever alter their ability to find good jobs, obtain college loans, and sometimes even hold a valid driver's license.

The U.S. government is working closely with state and local law enforcement, and with the pharmaceutical companies, to curb the illegal use of oxycodone-containing medications. Their goal is to make these substances available only to those who really need them for their intended purpose—the relief of pain.