Former Martinsville doctor who prescribed more than 500k doses of opioids granted new trial

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – A former Martinsville doctor who was sentenced to 40 years in prison after illegally prescribing more than a half-million opioids in a two-year timespan is getting a new trial.

A federal appeals court overturned the 2019 conviction of Joel Smithers due to an error in jury instruction during the initial trial.

[READ MORE: Martinsville doctor facing life in prison for thousands of opioid doses]

The 41-year-old, who was dubbed the “Pill Mill Doctor,” operated the Center for Integrative Health at Smithers Community Healthcare.

According to the DEA, he illegally prescribed highly addictive opioids like oxycodone without proper physical exams or medical records.