Narcotics, Alcohol, and Drug Division
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation takes excessive alcohol use, non-prescriptive narcotic use, and narcotic diversion extremely seriously. If you believe you have an issue, the best solution is to get professional help.
What Are the Most Likely Ways the IDFPR Will Discover These Issues?
The following are the most common ways this will occur:
What Will Happen Next?
If the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation doesn’t file a formal complaint against your license with this issue, they will most likely send you a “notice of disciplinary conference” to meet with a board member from your designated license. Assuming there was not a false report made against you, which does happen, the best course of action is to get help and show the department that you are doing so. Unfortunately, the IDFPR treats all alcohol- and drug-related issues the same. For example, someone who had a DUI ten years ago may be treated the same as someone who has diverted narcotics within weeks of their notice. In this scenario, it is best to consult with a legal representative who is familiar with the monitoring programs that the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation accepts. The following are the best approaches to take when you are given notice of drug- or alcohol-related allegations:
Oftentimes the IDFPR will send you a probationary consent order to sign prior to instituting a case against you. Most practitioners describe these consent orders as “death sentences” because they make it next to impossible to practice with the probationary terms it provides. It is wise to show this consent order to an attorney who focuses on the area of licensing.