July 05, 2006

Viagra was Rush Limbaugh's

The mess surrounding Rush Limbaugh's Viagra has been sorted out. The pills were under his psychiatrist's name to protect the talk radio host's privacy--not that it matters now.

The state attorney's office said that Dr. Steve Strumwasser's name was on the Viagra bottle, not Limbaugh's. Strumwasser, who is Limbaugh's psychiatrist, told authorities he "agreed to have his name on the label in an effort to avoid potentially embarrassing publicity for the suspect," according to the state attorney's office filing. "Thus, the medication contained in the subject pill bottle was legitimately prescribed to the suspect by his physician."

It is generally not illegal under Florida law for a physician to prescribe medication in a third party's name if all parties are aware and the doctor documents it correctly, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County state attorney.

However, since the doctor wrote the prescription in Miami-Dade County, the case has been forwarded to prosecutors there for review.

Limbaugh's lawyer, Roy Black, has said the prescription was written in Limbaugh's doctor's name "for privacy purposes." The conservative radio host was released without being charged and investigators confiscated the Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction.

"Based on the sworn facts presented by the investigating officer as well as the suspect, the elements of the offense cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt," Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney Paul Zacks wrote in a filing Wednesday.