DOCTOR FACES PRISON TERM FOR DEATHS BY PAINKILLER

MILTON, Fla. - A doctor was found guilty of manslaughter Tuesday for
prescribing OxyContin to four patients who overdosed on the powerful
painkiller.

Dr. James Graves, who was Florida's top prescriber of Oxycontin, faces up
to 30 years in prison.

Graves, 55, is believed to be the nation's first doctor to stand trial on
manslaughter or murder charges in the OxyContin death of a patient. He was
convicted on four counts of manslaughter, one count of racketeering and
five counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.

Prosecutor Russell Edgar estimated that Graves, who testified that he had
up to 1,000 patients at his pain management offices in Pace and Brewton,
Ala., brought in $500,000 a year.

``The defendant in effect put people in a chemical straitjacket,'' Edgar
said Tuesday. ``It was to his financial benefit to do so and ... also it
served his ego.''

Graves had testified that he did not know his patients were abusing drugs
and said no one would have died if OxyContin had been taken as prescribed.

``OxyContin is a good drug if it is taken properly,'' said defense attorney
H.E. Ellis Jr. ``Pharmacy companies don't spend billions of dollars
developing drugs if they are going to kill people.''

Prosecutors said money rolled in as patients, most paying cash, returned
repeatedly to feed their addictions.

``Word spread that he was the go-to doctor,'' Edgar said Monday. ``He's no
different than a drug dealer.''

OxyContin is a synthetic opiate. Addicts get a heroinlike high by chewing
the pills or crushing them and then injecting the drug.