New Jersey

Smoked out: Old Bridge doctor ousted from medical marijuana program following license suspension

Published: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 7:30 AM     Updated: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 11:52 AMNew From Dr. Sears! Primal Surge - All You Need for Instant On-The-Go Energy

 

By Mark Mueller and Amy Brittain/The Star-Ledger

TRENTON — An Old Bridge physician accused of "recklessly" prescribing painkillers and anabolic steroids, then altering patient records in the face of an investigation, has been booted from the state’s nascent medical marijuana program, health officials said Wednesday. The action came hours after the doctor, Roger Lallemand Jr., agreed to temporarily stop practicing medicine under a consent order approved unanimously by the State Board of Medical Examiners, the agency that regulates New Jersey’s physicians.

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Lallemand, 39, whose alleged misdeeds were outlined in a complaint filed by the state Attorney General’s Office last week, agreed he will not practice medicine until his case is heard at a plenary hearing, akin to a trial, later this year. That hearing could lead to his reinstatement, a suspension or the revocation of his medical license.

"We believe Dr. Lallemand poses a clear and imminent danger to the public and cannot be allowed to remain in practice pending the plenary hearing,

" Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said in a statement.Had Lallemand not agreed to the settlement, Chiesa said, the state would have moved to suspend him. Lallemand was one of 131 doctors registered to take part in the medical marijuana program, which has been beset by delays since it was signed into law two years ago.Donna Leusner, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Senior Services, said the agency has deactivated Lallemand’s registration and was in the process of removing his name from the department’s website.The consent order was one of two high-profile disciplinary actions taken at the board’s monthly meeting in Trenton Wednesday.

In the second case, the panel approved an agreement sharply curtailing the practice of an anesthesiologist once convicted of negligent manslaughter for the death of a patient in his native England.

Richard Kaul, 47, had been regularly performing risky spinal surgeries, some as long as seven hours, without proper training or education, the Attorney General’s Office said in a complaint last month.

Select 6 bottles of Primal Lean (BEST DEAL) and I’ll send you Fat-Loss Frauds! Under his consent order, Kaul retains his medical license but is permitted to perform only minor surgical procedures, such as the removal of moles or the treatment of lacerations.

He may still administer anesthesia to patients on two conditions: that he obtain hospital privileges and that he work with a board-certified surgeon.

The medical board voted, 13-1, in favor of the agreement. The lone dissenter, Belleville neurologist Steven Lomazow, declined to comment.Kaul is now a so-called freelance surgeon, operating at a one-room surgical center he owns in Pompton Lakes and at other clinics across the state.

Neither Kaul nor Lallemand appeared at the hearing. Kaul’s lawyer, Bob Conroy, previously told The Star-Ledger his client will fight the charges, many of which he said were unfounded.To some, the board’s actions against Kaul don’t go far enough. Sidney Wolfe, director of the Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, an advocacy group known for tackling consumer and health issues, said common sense should show Kaul’s case needs more scrutiny.

"This is someone who likely, in a number of states, would have had their license suspended, if not removed, for a long time," said Wolfe, who briefly reviewed the case against Kaul. "The potential losers are people in New Jersey who unknowingly may be putting their bodies or lives in the hands of people who have serious questions about the way they’re practicing."

Kaul’s disciplinary history dates back more than a decade. It was in 2001 when a jury in London convicted him of negligent manslaughter in the death of Isatu Bangura, 56, a mother of six whom Kaul sedated during a tooth extraction. Testimony at the trial indicated Kaul talked on a cell phone and ordered a blood oxygen monitor silenced because the sound annoyed him.
Bangura suffered a heart attack and died six days later.

Stripped of his medical license in England, Kaul began practicing in New Jersey but failed to disclose his criminal conviction to the medical board, which resulted in a six-month suspension in 2003.

Star-Ledger fileLallemand is charged with prescribing numerous painkillers, including OxyContin, seen above in a file photo.He has since been sued several times for malpractice. In January, a civil jury in Morris County returned a $750,000 verdict against him for allegedly botching the spinal surgery of a man who was left with a permanently disabled foot and chronic pain, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer, Louis Stein.

A judge later increased the damage award to $1.1 mi
llion, reflecting pre-trial interest, Stein said.

Nutrient Power Equal to 9 Pounds of Assorted Veggies w/ Ultra Greens from Primal ForceIn a further blow to the plaintiff, James Jarrell, Kaul’s insurance policy didn’t cover spinal surgery, said Stein, who has placed liens on the physician’s surgical center and $2.2 million home in Bernardsville.

So far, Stein said, his client hasn’t seen a penny

• Statewide smoking ban: On April 15, 2006, the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act went into effect, banning smoking statewide in all 
• enclosed workplaces in New Jersey, including all bars and restaurants, strip clubs, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, as well as outside portions of school grounds. 

• The Act exempts city parks, cigar bars, tobacco retail stores, tobacco manufacturing facilities, private residences and private automobiles, off-track betting parlors, and designated hotel/motel smoking rooms.
• 
  
• Local governments may regulate smoking more stringently than the Act.
• 
  
• Violating the Act can result in a fine of between $250 and $1,000, depending how many violations one has incurred within a year.

• Atlantic City, banned in all enclosed workplaces, including bars and restaurants as well as 75% of casino gaming floors.
• See Smoke-Free Air Act. Wiki New Jersey

Smoking ban proposed in Haledon

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012, 3:22 PM

BY JUSTIN ZAREMBA

STAFF WRITER

THE GAZETTE (HAWTHORNE EDITION)

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PRINT | E-MAILSmokers will have to find somewhere else to light up later this year as the borough considers joiningNorth Haledon and Prospect Park by prohibiting smoking at municipal parks.

"It's a pretty simple and straightforward ordinance just saying no smoking in park areas," said Borough Attorney Andrew Oddo on May 3.
While the legislation is still only in draft form, sentiment on the council suggests the ordinance will easily pass.

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Councilman Mounir Almaita said the anti-smoking ordinance passed by the Borough of Prospect Parkearlier this year was "very extensive" and could serve as a useful model for Haledon since the legislation prohibited water pipes such as hookahs as well as cigars and cigarettes.

Oddo stated the definition of smoking in the current draft should prove adequate, but indicated that he would review neighboring towns' ordinances in further detail prior to the next council meeting.



In North Haledon, smokers face a $50 fine if they light up near "smoke-free zone" signs located around the recreation complex, while Hofstra Park is off-limits for tobacco enthusiasts in Prospect Park.

Email: zaremba@northjersey.com