RUSH LIMBAUGH FOUND NOT TO BE A 'HARDENED' CRIMINAL

This From REUTERS

MIAMI (Reuters) - Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh has been cleared of wrongdoing following his detention at a Florida airport last month when agents found a bottle of Viagra in his luggage that was not prescribed in his name, authorities said on Wednesday.

Under Florida law, certain prescription drugs, including Pfizer's erectile dysfunction remedy Viagra, must bear the name of the person carrying them. Violation is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine and 60 days in jail.

But the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office said Limbaugh's psychiatrist had agreed to have his name placed on the Viagra bottle, rather than that of his patient, "in an effort to avoid potentially embarrassing publicity."

Limbaugh, an abrasive and often moralistic talk show host, admitted in October 2003 that he was addicted to painkillers. He was returning from the Dominican Republic when he was detained at Palm Beach County International Airport on June 26 after arriving there on a private plane.


Michael Edmondson, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office, said the Viagra incident would have no impact on a deal Limbaugh struck with prosecutors in April to end an investigation into whether he had illegally used different doctors at the same time to obtain large quantities of painkillers.

Under the deal, Limbaugh was booked on one count of concealing information to fraudulently obtain a prescription drug. Prosecutors agreed to drop the charge in 18 months if Limbaugh continued to seek drug therapy treatment, his lawyer said.