A Pensacola Beach, Fla.-based physician has pleaded guilty to 19 counts of unlawfully distributing or dispensing controlled substances, according to an Oct. 21 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
Edward Scott Morrison, MD, was contracted to work in hospital emergency departments and other medical offices in and around Escambia County. Between 2020 and 2025, he illegally prescribed at least 25,500 controlled substance pills, including more than 22,000 opioid pills, mostly oxycodone and hydrocodone, and more than 3,000 stimulant pills, mostly Adderall or generics. He wrote the prescriptions on request, in whatever type, dosage and quantity was asked for, without examining patients, reviewing their medical histories or keeping records of the encounters. Pharmacies in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties filled them.
Dr. Morrison is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 14, and faces up to 20 years in prison on each count. The case was part of the Justice Department’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
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