South Carolina Code 44-53-395. Prohibited acts; penalties
(1) for any practitioner to issue any prescription document signed in blank. The issuance of such document signed in blank shall be prima facie evidence of a conspiracy to violate this section. The possession of prescription document signed in blank by a person other than the person whose signature appears thereon shall be deemed prima facie evidence of a conspiracy between the possessor and the signer to violate the provisions of this section;
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 44-53-395
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Department: means the State Department of Health and Environmental Control. See South Carolina Code 44-53-110
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Practitioner: means :
(a) a physician, dentist, veterinarian, podiatrist, scientific investigator, or other person licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, conduct research with respect to, or to administer a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research in this State;
(b) a pharmacy, hospital, or other institution licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, conduct research with respect to, or to administer a controlled substance in the course of professional practice or research in this State. See South Carolina Code 44-53-110
(2) for any person other than a practitioner registered with the Department under this article to possess a blank prescription not completed and signed by the practitioner whose name appears printed thereon;
(3) for any person to withhold the information from a practitioner that such person is obtaining controlled substances of like therapeutic use in a concurrent time period from another practitioner.
(B) Any person who knowingly and intentionally violates this section a first time shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a term of imprisonment for not more than two years or by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars, or both. Any person who knowingly and intentionally violates this section a second or subsequent time shall be deemed guilty of a felony and upon conviction shall be punished by a term of imprisonment for not more than five years.