The attorneys for Signature Pharmacy have requested a court hearing to defend patients against violations of due-process rights by the State of Florida. The State of Florida sent out letters to thousands of clients who have had prescriptions filled by Signature Pharmacy; they were notified that their prescription records had been seized by the State and subject to review by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution (“Signature Pharmacy sues prosecutors in ’07 case,” October 12).
On another matter, attorneys for Signature also requested a hearing before Osceola Circuit Court Judge John Marshall Kest about the pharmacy’s clients. The state wants to examine prescriptions filled by Signature and sent letters to several thousand clients.
According to the motion filed, the state did not date the letters but told the clients they had 30 days to respond. Signature attorneys filed an objection, saying it violates the patients’ due-process rights.
The letters have alarmed many clients of Signature Pharmacy since private medical records seized from Signature Pharmacy have previously been “leaked” to the media by prosecutors in a concerted effort to smear and embarrass prominent individuals as part of a steroid witch-hunt e.g. Albany County District Attorney David Soares case against Signature Pharmacy.
David Soares’ office appears to have worked tirelessly sorting through the subpenoaed records of thousands of steroid users to find the names of affluent and successful professional athletes and entertainers who may have used steroids. This information is conveniently leaked to the press, most notably Soares’ bedfellow, Brendan Lyons of the Albany Times-Union.
Patients are justifiably concerned. They feel violated by the seizures of their medical/prescription records by the State of Florida, Albany County (New York) and various other state and federal government agencies; they are afraid what the government may do.
Is it acceptable to only violate the medical records of professional athletes and entertainers? Or could other law-abiding, gainfully employed professionals be subjected to the public stigma of anabolic steroid use (even if used for legitimate therapeutic reasons)? Who else could have their medical records published in the press as a matter of public record due to the misguided agenda of a publicity seeking prosecutor?
We shall see. The Albany County District Attorney’s Office (New York) and the Office of Statewide Prosecution (Florida) allegedly created a plan where they would take turns prosecuting Signature Pharmacy on essentially the same charges (but sneakily avoid double jeopardy). Now that David Soares’ case against Signature was dismissed, it is now William Shepherd’s turn to prosecute. We’ll see how Shepherd’s Office of Statewide Prosecution uses the Signature Pharmacy patient list.
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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