There are instances where overmedicating isn’t a mistake or pharmacist error, but instead an intentional illegal act meant to make money in a corrupt doctor-and-pharmacist scheme. Doctors are not allowed to own pharmacies or take financial kickbacks for the medications they prescribe, a division enacted in law to preserve the fiduciary duty (financial responsibility) of both parties.
If that divide is breached, it is an illegal act that requires handling in a criminal court. However, should you or a loved one be injured by a criminal conspiracy to defraud and overmedicate, you can seek civil damages and restitution by filing a lawsuit.
Examples of pharmaceutical fraud could entail an under-the-counter arrangement, as in a case where a doctor rents space to a pharmacist to launder the ill-gotten money through high rent payments. Another example is a case Hodes Milman, LLP has handled involving opioid and narcotics abuse. The circumstances included a federal arrest of the doctor for money laundering and illegal narcotic dealing, because such unlawful behavior turns those who should be medical professionals into drug dealers.