LIMBAUGH MUST SUBMIT TO DRUG TESTS

As Part Of An Agreement To Dismiss A Prescription Fraud Charge, Radio
Commentator Rush Limbaugh Must Undergo Random Drug Testing

WEST PALM BEACH - Rush Limbaugh must submit to random drug tests
under an agreement filed Monday that will dismiss a prescription
fraud charge against the conservative commentator after 18 months if
he complies with the terms.

He also must continue treatment for his acknowledged addiction to
painkillers, and he cannot own a gun.

The agreement did not call for Limbaugh to admit guilt to the charge
that he sought a prescription from a physician in 2003 without
revealing that he had received medications from another practitioner
within 30 days. He pleaded not guilty Friday.

"Do you think if there was any real evidence, we would have reached a
settlement?" Limbaugh said Monday on his radio show.

Limbaugh said that he has been undergoing random drug tests for 2 1/2
years and "haven't even craved a painkiller since I got out of rehab."

Attorney Roy Black said in a statement Monday that the agreement was
"a common-sense resolution and the appropriate way the state should
treat people who have admitted an addiction to prescription pain
medication and voluntarily sought treatment."

Prosecutors launched their probe in 2003 after Limbaugh's housekeeper
alleged he abused OxyContin and other painkillers. He entered a five-
week rehabilitation program that year and blamed his addiction on
severe back pain.

"I spoke recently with his doctor, who told me Mr. Limbaugh has made
an exceptionally strong recovery and remains firmly committed to
continued treatment," Black said.

The Palm Beach County state attorney's office may revoke or modify
the deal if Limbaugh violates the terms, according to the agreement.

Limbaugh, 55, had criticized the investigation as a "fishing"
expedition and repeatedly maintained he was innocent.

Prosecutors accused him of illegally deceiving multiple doctors to
receive overlapping prescriptions, a practice known as doctor
shopping. After seizing his medical records, authorities learned
Limbaugh received up to 2,000 painkillers, prescribed by four
doctors, in six months.

However, the single charge only alleges that Limbaugh illegally
obtained about 40 pills, said Mike Edmondson, a state attorney's
spokesman. He would not explain why prosecutors scaled back the case.

Kendall Coffey, a Miami defense lawyer, said the agreement is a
standard deal for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders.