John Petro was a doctor who gained notoriety for prescribing controlled drugs in 1960s Britain.[1][2][3][4][5]
Petro was one of the first doctors to administer penicillin with Alexander Fleming.[1] In 1966, he was injured in a traffic collision and faced bankrutpcy, resorting to writing perscriptions to drug addicts for controlled drugs such as heroin and cocaine.[1] Petro did not have an office and worked out of coffee bars and cafes.[1] His practice was widely covered by British tabloids for months.[1] In January 1968, Petro was invited on David Frost's television program to discuss his practice.[1] He was immediately arrested after the broadcast.[1]
In 1968, his name was struck off of the Medical Register.[2][3] Petro contiuned working with drug addicts after no longer being able to prescribe drugs.[4]
Petro was discussed in the House of Commons by Alexander Lyon, Edward Short, and Cranley Onslow during a debate about trial by televison.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "When Boots Prescribed Heroin, the UK Did Drug Policy Right". Vice News. 4 October 2018.
- ^ a b Dynamic Dualities: The ‘British System’ of Heroin Addiction Treatment, 1965–1987 (PDF).
- ^ a b "Dr. Petro to be struck off Medical Register". The Guardian Journal. 29 October 1968.
- ^ a b "Petro Injects "Fixes" for West End Drug Addicts". The Daily Telegraph. 11 November 1969.
- ^ "Dr. Petro fined £1700 for drug offences". Evening Standard. 14 February 1968.
- ^ "Orders Of The Day. Volume 759: debated on Tuesday 27 February 1968".