A federal jury in the Middle District of Tennessee convicted a medical doctor for unlawfully distributing controlled substances.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Bowdoin Smith, aged 67 and from Carthage, Tennessee, unlawfully prescribed controlled substances, including opioids such as oxycodone and morphine. Smith, a doctor of osteopathy, owned and operated a general practice medical clinic in Carthage where he knowingly prescribed opioids outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
In 2012, the Tennessee Department of Health placed Smith’s medical license on probation for three years because he routinely prescribed more controlled substances than medically necessary for his patients.
After the probation was lifted, Smith continued to write unlawful prescriptions between 2016 and 2019, regularly ignoring the signs of drug abuse and addiction in his patients.
The jury convicted Smith of three counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.