Joel Smithers, MD, was convicted in May of 861 federal drug charges, including illegally prescribing opioids and maintaining a place for the purpose of illegally distributing controlled substances. Prosecutors said Dr. Smithers prescribed 500,000 doses of opioids over a two-year period.
Jurors found Dr. Smithers guilty of prescribing the drugs that caused the death of a woman in West Virginia. He faced up to life in prison.
“I just hope that this sentence will set an example of what happens to doctors who abuse their authority in prescribing medications for profits,” Eddie Cassady, police chief in Martinsville, Va., told the The Times. “Their actions have contributed to the opioid crisis faced by our country.”
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