Missoula Doctor Pays $85,000 Controlled Substance Act Violation

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On Friday, August 25, it was announced that Dr. William D. Stratford of Missoula entered into a civil settlement agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana for distributing ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects.

U.S. Attorney for the State of Montana Jesse Laslovich alleged that Dr. Stratford, who operated clinics in both Missoula and Kalispell, distributed the drug from an unregistered location and failed to maintain important records for controlled substances.

A Missoula Physician was Fined $85,000 for Distributing Ketamine

According to Laslovich, DEA investigators investigated Stratford’s Missoula location, Big Sky Ketamine Care where they found violations including numerous failures to keep adequate records for those controlled substances. In addition, Stratford failed to keep adequate records as required for controlled substances stored at his residence or at his Kalispell clinic.

Laslovich said ‘Maintaining accurate records as required by the Controlled Substance Act is critical to make sure that controlled substances, such as ketamine, are not abused or misused. We expect doctors and all providers to comply with these rules, and we take any violations of the regulations seriously. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Kakuk and the DEA for their work on this case,”

Montana's U.S. Attorney Laslovich Announced the Civil Settlement

The alleged offenses occurred from 2019 through 2021.

The DEA identified ketamine as a schedule three non-narcotic substance that is a short-acting anesthetic used for short-term sedation and for treatment for short-term depression, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and other psychological conditions.

The Drug Enforcement Administration Conducted the Investigation

According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s office, ‘The settlement agreement is neither an admission of liability by Stratford nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well-founded.’

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.