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Mother who lost son pleads with doctors to reduce opioid prescriptions
Elaine Pozycki, who lost her son to opioid addiction, addresses a group of doctors at Holy Name Medical Center and asks them to consider opioid alternatives.
Anne-Marie Caruso, NorthJersey.com
A Bergen County doctor who is already serving a six-year federal prison sentence for illegally distributing opioids will never be allowed to practice medicine again in New Jersey, state authorities announced on Oct. 23.
Referring to himself as “El Chapo of Opioids” while working at North Jersey Family Medicine practice in Oakland, Robert Delagente had prescribed oxycodone and other painkillers along with sedatives and muscle relaxers for years without a legitimate medical purpose, authorities said.
He pleaded guilty in 2022 to drug charges and falsifying medical records in federal court.
Delagente agreed in a consent order filed this week with the state Board of Medical Examiners to permanently revoke his medical license without the ability to reapply, according to the Attorney General’s Office, which oversees the board.
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“We are making it clear that we will not allow doctors to hide behind their prescription pads to conduct themselves like street-corner drug dealers,” Elizabeth Harris, acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, said in a statement Thursday.
Federal authorities said Delagente referred to himself in conversation as “Candy Man” and “El Chapo of Opioids” — a reference to the infamous Mexican drug lord.
Opioid use exploded in New Jersey and nationwide more than 10 years ago. Overdose deaths in the state climbed from 1,096 in 2012 to a high of 3,171 in 2022, largely due to the surge in opioid use. Those numbers dropped in 2023 and the first half of 2024, according to the latest data.
