Posted on 06/27/2006 4:00:45 PM PDT by doesnt suffer fools gladly
Limbaugh Likely to Wait Several Days
By BRIAN SKOLOFF
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Rush Limbaugh will likely have to wait several days to find out if he violated his deal with prosecutors in a prescription fraud case when authorities found him in possession of a bottle of Viagra that was apparently prescribed to someone else, a spokesman for the state attorney's office said Tuesday.
Limbaugh, 55, was detained for more than three hours Monday at Palm Beach International Airport after he returned on his private plane from a vacation in the Dominican Republic. Customs officials found Viagra in his bag, but his name wasn't on the prescription, Palm Beach County sheriff's spokesman Paul Miller said.
Limbaugh's lawyer, Roy Black, said the prescription was written in his doctor's name "for privacy purposes." The conservative radio host was released without being charged and investigators confiscated the Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction.
Limbaugh joked about the search on his radio show Tuesday, saying Customs officials didn't believe him when he said he got the pills at the Clinton Library and he was told they were blue M&Ms. He later added, chuckling: "I had a great time in the Dominican Republic. Wish I could tell you about it."
It is generally not illegal under Florida law for a physician to prescribe medication in a third party's name if all parties are aware and the doctor documents it correctly, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the state attorney in Palm Beach County. He would not discuss specifics in the Limbaugh case Tuesday.
The sheriff's office was continuing its investigation and would turn the case over to prosecutors in several days, Edmondson said. The alleged violation could be a second-degree misdemeanor if Limbaugh's doctor doesn't confirm the prescription.
Under last month's deal with prosecutors, authorities will dismiss a "doctor shopping" charge if Limbaugh doesn't get arrested for 18 months, among other terms. Prosecutors had said he illegally deceived multiple doctors to get overlapping painkiller prescriptions. Limbaugh denied the charges but admitted he was addicted to painkillers.
This latest case may simply be dismissed if prosecutors can confirm with Limbaugh's doctor that the prescription was indeed for Limbaugh, said Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. attorney in Florida.
"It's perhaps a little embarrassing but not highly incriminating," Coffey said.
In addition, possession of Viagra is in a "completely different universe than a matter that would involve Schedule Two (controlled) substances such as OxyContin" Coffey added.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Viagra is not considered a controlled substance because "it's not something you can be addicted to," said DEA Investigator Maria Gilbert.
The Food and Drug Administration oversees regulations concerning non-addictive drugs that are not considered controlled substances, Gilbert said. A telephone call to the FDA was not immediately returned Tuesday.
Sure ...
but if I was in trouble and my lawyer said what I did was "generally not illegal" IF something and IF some other people had crossed their t's and dotted their i's
... I'd be scared ...
... but I'm just a average Peon American
"You're in enemy territory where you live."
You got that right. Rush, get over to the West Coast ASAP!!! You just can't stay on the left coast (if you're looking at the State from the North), you've got to get on the right coast, and that's the Gulf side. It's beautiful over there, less bugs, tranquil, lots of nice people, and they are friends, in general, not enemies. Relocate wisely, but please relocate. They are out to get you, as I'm sure you know firsthand. But don't let them badger you out of Florida, a beautiful state. Just shift coasts and your problems will be solved.
How rediculas. Leave the man alone.
How rediculas. Leave the man alone
Can't. Too much humor value.
There I fixed it. Geesh...if you're gonna tell a joke, get it right!
I did not mean you. I meant the press. This is a non-story. A fun non-story but a non-story. If they take it seriously, they are not to be taken seriously.
Yuk Yuk ... but if he REALLY pulled these lines on the Customs people you have an answer why he got nailed ...
It's a celebrity story. So, by definition it's a non-story. Unless the press turn up something about Rush in the DR, then this has a shelf life of about five days. Maybe a week.
There are so many ads on tv that it seems that it would be very easy to get a prescription?
Serious note: don't let those ads fool you. Some of the drugs they're advertising are serious stuff, Viagra included. IMO even doctors don't take them seriously enough.
I have no doubt this is going nowhere Rush screwed up again, but again not a big deal.
Think that will kill him?
Looked something like this one...
Your Point ?
Opening scene of The Wild Bunch meets Martha Stewart?
Thanks - you are correct that these ads treat a lot of these different life enchancement drugs like candy. My own son was on a bunch of different drugs when he was very little and I learned a lot about side effects.
The hardest drug I do is Caffeine - hmmm maybe that is why I'm up past midnight...
I regularly see people abusing prescription drugs. Even over the counter drugs are nothing to play around with...several months ago I saw a young lady take two Tylenol and wash them down with wine -- very dangerous.
You jumped in on the middle of a conversation. I have a scopion in my dish washer. Nothing to do with Limbaugh, or anything else for that matter.
Isn't Tylenol (the active ingredient in it) the one that you don't have to have much of an overdose along with alcohol to take out your liver?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.