WEST PALM DOCTOR JAILED FOR ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTING PAINKILLERS

A West Palm Beach pain management specialist was arrested late Tuesday on
federal charges of illegally distributing the painkiller oxycodone.

Dr. Andrew D. Weiss, 44, of Boca Raton, faces one count each of conspiracy
and obstruction of justice and 39 counts of drug distribution. The
obstruction charge relates to allegations that Weiss attempted to deceive a
grand jury investigation by falsifying patient records, according to the
indictment. Each of the charges is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

A Vermont man, Marc Wells, 30, of Essex Junction, was indicted with Weiss.
He is charged with conspiracy, six counts of sending cash to Palm Beach
County residents and three counts of having oxycodone sent to him.

It could not be determined whether Weiss had hired an attorney. He is
scheduled for a bond hearing Friday.

Weiss was involved with the illegal distribution of 12,000 oxycodone pills,
U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of Miami said in a statement.

"Illegally dispensing prescription medications is a serious federal crime,
just like trafficking in cocaine and crack, and doctors who do this will be
prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Acosta said.

Weiss operated a West Palm Beach clinic called Pain Management of the Palm
Beaches, according to prosecutors. He appears to have had several office
addresses in Palm Beach and Broward counties in recent years, state records
show.

He wrote to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel to comment on a 2002 series
about prescription drug abuse linked to patient deaths. Weiss, who was not
a subject of the series, wrote that he was board certified by the American
Academy of Pain Management.

"Fortunately, to my knowledge, I have not had any inadvertent drug
overdoses in the past 11 years. This is due to a vigilance in my patients
and, on occasion, a 'tough love' control of some patients' medications. In
spite of everything, sometimes these patients will still try to fool the
system (and the doctor, too)."

In 2001, Weiss was fined $5,000 by the Florida Department of Health and
ordered to undergo 10 hours of continuing education in pain management.
Regulators alleged Weiss improperly treated a woman who had nerve pain that
resulted in her hand being amputated. The woman went into a coma, and
regulators alleged Weiss didn't adequately document the need for the
treatments he gave her.

Weiss did not admit to the allegations as part of a settlement.

Staff Writer Shana Gruskin contributed to this report.