Jeff Greenman

Jeffrey Greenman

Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law alumnus Jeffrey Greenman (’06) will take a recent Southern California case to Sacramento this fall in hopes of bringing about new legislation to change how prescription medications are handled.

His inspiration came after taking on the case of a 12-year-old girl who suffered from severe and frightening hallucinations when a pharmacist accidentally mixed Ambien with her antibiotics. The case, which was resolved this year in favor of his client, made a splash in both local and national news (see more here), leading to an influx of calls to Greenman about similar scenarios from across the country.

Greenman is now pursuing a legislative solution that would require pharmaceutical companies to provide pharmacies with a small card or prescription vial label to be placed in or on the outside of the bottle with a photo that clearly shows what the prescribed medication should look like. This solution, he said, would provide an extra opportunity for pharmacists to check their work and, more importantly, allow patients to clearly recognize incorrect pills.

“Pharmacies have some checks and balances, but they’re obviously not working,” Greenman said. “This is a major issue that everyone needs to know about, and it’s one that can be easily fixed.”

In November, Greenman and his client’s mother will travel to Sacramento to present her story and Greenman’s idea to a senate committee.