A pharmacist has certain rules they have to abide by and regulations they have to follow, and they are expected to uphold a certain standard of care just like anyone else working in the medical industry. This is why pharmacists can lose their license for things like causing a patient harm intentionally, acting with extreme negligence and much more.
However, even things that seem to be fairly cut and dry can actually be rather complicated. The story may be more complex than people assume and it’s important to know how this can affect your career and your license.
The theft of prescription drugs
Since pharmacists are in charge of filling prescriptions, they are often linked to cases of alleged pill mills or situations where prescription drug abuse is happening. For instance, there have been cases where a pharmacist has been accused of stealing pills, perhaps to use or to sell under the table.
That said, multiple people are going to be involved in the chain of events that leads to prescription drug abuse – something that is a very big problem in the United States, especially involving opioids. Many people overdose on them every year, and the recreational market, even though it’s illegal, is quite large.
That being said, many of these individuals are picking up their pills with a valid prescription. It is not necessarily the pharmacist who is filling the prescription when they shouldn’t or giving people medication without a prescription at all. It could be that the doctor is intentionally prescribing more of the medication than is needed, allowing that person to use it recreationally.
What are your options?
This is just one example of one issue that can cause a license problem for a pharmacist, but it helps to show just how important it is to understand your legal options in this type of situation. Your license is crucial to your career and your livelihood. You must know what steps to take if it is ever in jeopardy.