All of the celebrity and celebrity-related trials seem to take place in Los Angeles; since LA is home to a majority of big-time celebs, this makes perfect sense. The latest trial to catch the attention of the nation is that of Dr. Conrad Murray, who is on trial for the death of Michael Jackson. 

The issue is whether or not Michael Jackson killed himself accidentally or intentionally with his sleep aids or whether or not Dr. Conrad Murray was himself “negligent in his care.” So far, the twelve members of the jury have had to listen to conflicting reports about Michael Jackson’s health in the days before his death. The general public has had to repeatedly listen to a recorded message from Michael Jackson which was recorded a week or two before his death. The pop icon sounded incoherent. (I think I heard Michael Jackson’s garbled message on CNN at least twelve times last night.)

Whatever you think about Michael Jackson’s death and celebrity trials in general, there is something to be said for holding physician’s responsible for the medication that they prescribe to their patients and how much they know individual patients. I would imagine that Michael Jackson’s personal physician would be more than capable of remembering the physical and emotional stability of such a prominent patient. If indeed Dr. Conrad Murray just over-prescribed medication to Michael Jackson as a way of appeasing Michael Jackson’s needs, then there really isn’t much to distinguish Michael Jackson’s doctor from a drug dealer.

Anna Nicole  Smith’s doctor, Sandeep Kapoor, was also charged for similar negligence in the death of his celebrity patient after she overdosed on prescription medication. However, he was acquitted on all charges. Dr. Sandeep Kapoor is now speaking out about Dr. Conrad Murray’s trial; not surprisingly, Anna Nicole Smith’s doctor is defending Michael Jackson’s doctor to the fullest.  Dr. Sandeep Kapoor’s defense of Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, is that Dr. Conrad Murray didn’t have adequate access to Michael Jackson’s medical records. My contention would be that if Dr. Conrad Murray really didn’t have access to Michael Jackson’s medical records and history or didn’t know him all that well, he shouldn’t have been prescribing him so much medication. 

Here in the Pacific Northwest, the non-celebrity doctors are held to extremely high standards when it comes to prescribing certain medications. There is a reason that these medications are not readily available and the cases of Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith do nothing but highlight the problems with over-prescribing.