DRUG CASE APPEAL IS DENIED

The Florida Supreme Court on Friday denied the appeal of a chronic
pain patient from Hudson sentenced to 25 years in prison under the
state's drug trafficking laws.

In a two-paragraph opinion, the court declined to accept jurisdiction
of Richard Paey's case and said it would not entertain motions for a
rehearing. The court is not obligated to hear appeals in such cases.

In 2004, Paey, 48, was convicted on seven counts of trafficking in
oxycodone, four counts of possession of hydrocodone and obtaining a
controlled substance by fraud. He has said he needs to take large
amounts of narcotics to deal with pain stemming from a 1985 car accident.

Paey's attorney argued that the laws under which Paey was convicted
are aimed at drug dealers, not chronic pain patients, and that his
lengthy prison sentence amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

At trial, prosecutors described Paey's Cypress Knee Drive home as a
"prescription factory" and said he filled prescriptions for more than
1,100 hydrocodone and oxycodone pills in a 34-day period.