2 years probation for Charlottetown doctor

Dr. Grant Matheson of Charlottetown was sentenced Wednesday to two years probation on a charge of obtaining prescription narcotics under false pretenses.

Matheson, 43, pleaded guilty to the charges, which covera period from 2002 to 2005, in late November. They came after a complaint from Kevin Kelly, a patient. Matheson admitted in court Wednesday he broke the law and violated the trust of a patient.

Matheson used Kelly to supply him with drugs, at first about 20 Dilaudid tablets a month, but over three years it grew to hundreds of tablets a month. Matheson would write Kelly a prescription for Dilaudid and then Kelly would sell them back to the doctor.

Mathesonentered atreatment program in 2005 and has been clean forthree years.

Chief Provincial Court Judge John Douglas said it appears Matheson has managed to turn his life around.

Plenty of publicity

In sentencing Matheson to probation, Douglas said there has understandably been a lot of publicity about this case, and the public humiliation that Matheson faces should be enough to discourage other physicians from making the same mistakes.

In addition to the probation, Douglas ordered Matheson to write letters of apology to Kelly and tothe pharmacy.

Matheson admitted lying to the pharmacist on one occasion, telling him Kelly had dropped the pills down the toilet by mistake, and asking him to give his patient a refill.

The judge told Matheson he wants him to speak to young people who are having trouble with drugs and try to get the message across about the devastation an addiction can cause to a person's life, their family and their career.

Matheson stood in court and with a breaking voice apologized to the court, the police, his family andKevin Kelly.

Matheson, who first opened a practice on the Island 15 years ago, still faces sanctions from the College of Physicians and Surgeons. It meets in January to decide whether to hand down a 3-year suspension of his medical licence recommended by its fitness to practice committee.

Matheson and his lawyer didn't want to comment on that proceeding until the college makes its final decision.