Psychiatrist Thomas Cantwell loses license for drug diversion

November 4, 2013

On July 25, 2013, psychiatrist Thomas J. Cantwell surrendered his license to the New York Office of Professional Medical Conduct.

In September 2012, Cantwell permanently surrendered his license to the Virginia Board of Medicine. Virginia’s document states that on at least two occasions, Cantwell wrote prescriptions for hydrocodone in the names of two fictitious patients and forged the signature of another physician on the prescription, resulting in the diversion of controlled substances to Cantwell for his own unauthorized use. He was indicted by a Grand Jury on April 24, 2012 on eight counts of prescription fraud and three counts of uttering a false prescription.

Cantwell was sentenced August 6, 2012 to three years supervised probation with terms and conditions.

(There is a psychiatrist by the same name who practiced in Labrador, Newfoundland but CCHR has not yet confirmed if it is the same individual.)