Working as a pharmacist means being in a position of community trust. Mandatory years of education and state licensing help to serve as a means of ensuring a high standard of care. Pharmacists often attend roughly as much school as medical doctors and have to perform their jobs to meet a very exacting standard.
Unfortunately, demanding schedules can strain relationships and physical health, leading to some pharmacists self-medicating with the substances they dispense to the public. Other times, pharmacists may let their interpersonal relationships influence actions they take in a professional setting with disastrous results. How might addiction issues lead to a pharmacist losing their professional licensing?
1. When they unlawfully dispense medication
Pharmacists might engage in prescription drug fraud by helping someone forge, fabricate or alter prescriptions to obtain more medication than they should.
Especially if someone that they have a close relationship with struggles with substance abuse, they may misuse their authority to help their loved one maintain a relatively safe supply of the medication upon which they have become chemically dependent.
A pharmacist accused of prescription drug fraud could very easily lose their professional license and possibly face criminal penalties as well.
2. When they struggle with addiction themselves
If you are a pharmacist, you may be at risk of losing your license if you misstep in service of your own struggles. Whether you have back or knee pain because of staying on your feet for so many long shifts or the stress of your profession has led to mental health challenges, you might treat the pharmacy as a first aid kit that you can access for your own benefit.
Pharmacists accused of inappropriately accessing medication or facilitating others’ illegal access could end up at risk of losing their license for work.
In addition to mounting a defense in criminal court, you may need to prepare to defend yourself against professional discipline. Recognizing when your professional license could be at risk can help you better protect your future despite any mistakes you may have made in the past.
