Next month, the Supreme Court will hear a case in which two doctors were convicted of unlawfully dispensing opioids. The case is causing the advocates of pain patients and some health policy experts to be afraid. They fear that such a ruling could enable the government to aggressively prosecute prescribers, and that such a decision could discourage doctors from providing opioids even when they are warranted. Oral arguments are scheduled to begin on March 1. In a 1975 decision, the court ruled that doctors may be convicted under the controlled substances act if they do not engage in their usual professional practice. The courts have continued to give different meanings to that phrase. Some people have found that the government needs to prove that the prescriber intentionally or knowingly violated best practices. Other people have found that doctors have been guilty of prescribing medication in ways that were not in accordance with best practices.
Keith is a retired Police Sergeant, working his entire 29 year career in the San Francisco Bay Area. Keith is a recipient of the prestigious California’s Narcotics Officer of the Year Award and is a prior winner of MADD’s California Hero Award. He has years of experience as a Narcotics Detective and a Narcotics Unit Supervisor and is a Drug Recognition Expert Instructor (IACP #3292). Keith has developed several courses for the Department of Defense, California Narcotics Officers Association, and California POST, and numerous police agencies and private corporations.
Keith has held other assignments besides narcotics including Training Sergeant, Patrol Sergeant, COPPS Officer, Traffic Officer, and 20 years as a SWAT Team member and Sniper Team Leader. Keith has taught thousands of officers and businesses around the world about drug use, drug trends, compliance training and drug investigations. Keith is also the founder of Christian Warrior Training, where he provides free resources and training to church security ministries. He is recognized as an international drug expert and has testified as an expert in court proceedings on drug cases, homicide cases and rape prosecutions. Keith earned a BA in Business Management from Saint Mary’s College of California and a MA in Criminal Justice. Keith is the Founder and President of Graves & Associates, a company dedicated to providing drug training to law enforcement, the Department of Defense, and private industry internationally. You can follow Keith on social media on Facebook (DopeCop and DrugEnforcementCops), twitter (DopeCop) and Instagram (DrugEnforcementCops).
