VIDEO – OPIATES ON PARADE –
June 22, 2024 – A Maine doctor could be sentenced to hundreds of years in prison for her practices of overprescribing opioids.
Dr. Merideth Norris, 53, of Kennebunk, was convicted by a federal jury of 15 counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Norris’ arrest in Oct. 2022 was the first charge brought by the New England Prescription Opioid Strike Force by the federal justice department. At the time of her arrest, she faced 10 counts of unlawful distribution of opioids and other controlled substances.
Court documents showed that Norris prescribed the drugs, many of which are highly addictive, without a legitimate medical purpose. The prescriptions she wrote included oxycodone, fentanyl and hydromorphone.
Some of the patients to whom she prescribed the drugs already suffered from opioid use disorder. Others tested positive for addictive substances that had not been prescribed to them. Still others appeared to be distributing drugs into their respective communities, according to the U.S. Justice Department in a news release.
In an interview with our media partners, WMTW, in late Feb. 2023, a member of the Maine recovery community defended her after she pleaded not guilty to the charges. Rob Korobkin, of Courage House in Gorham, said he’d known Norris for years and “believes very strongly that she’s done nothing wrong.”
