TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Oct 28, 2020

Tennessee Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, on Monday admitted to prescribing opioids to family members and to an employee he was romantically involved with, the Tennessean reports. During opening statements in a medical disciplinary proceeding on Monday, Hensley’s attorney, David Sneed, defended his client’s good intentions and argued the prescriptions were all but unavoidable in the small town where Hensley is the only available doctor. State health officials argue Hensley violated medical standards over several years by prescribing controlled substances to family members and a romantic partner. That partner was a nurse in Hensley’s office and also his second cousin. The state testified that Hensley had written the woman at least 47 prescriptions for controlled substances from 2011 to 2018. At the hearing, Hensley testified that he was unaware he’d done anything wrong. The charges against Hensley are not criminal, but they could impact his ability to treat patients or prescribe drugs.