prescribing 50 million substance controlled pills. 87 medical professionals have been charged with opioid related crimes, nearly double the number of the last two years. a virginia based doctor will soon find out whether he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars for helping fuel our nation's opioid epidemic. his name dr. joel smithers. prosecutors say he doled out half million doses of opioids in just two year. patients drove hundreds of miles just to get prescription. back in may he was convicted of hundreds accounts of illegally describing drugs including one in a situation where a woman died. during his trial, he tried to sell himself as a caring doctor who was deceived by some patients. he admitted he sometimes wrote and mailed prescriptions for patients he had never seen. he claimed he did speak to them over the phone. the doctor has said he plans to appeal. joining me now emily compagno.