The state’s evidence against Middletown’s Dr. Phillip Foley is startling: He wrote 96,000 prescriptions, a rate of 545 per week; he wrote 424 prescriptions for 141 patients in a single day; and nearly all prescriptions were for narcotics, stimulants and painkillers.

When the Indiana Medical Licensing Board issued an emergency suspension of Foley’s license for 90 days at a hearing last Thursday, Foley was described as a “clear and present danger” to patients.

During its investigation of Foley, the state determined that pharmaceuticals he prescribed contributed to the deaths of at least nine patients. Dr. W.S. Minore testified at Friday’s hearing that Foley and his staff failed to properly examine or screen patients before prescribing painkillers.

Foley denies that he prescribed pills recklessly. Whomever you believe, the case raises complex issues about public safety and medical ethics.

Prescription drug abuse has eclipsed illegal street drug use in recent years. Pharmaceutical companies spend millions in television advertising persuading people that there is a pill that will solve their problems, from cancer to diabetes to restless legs.

Patients will visit their doctor and say they want the new miracle drug. Doctors then determine whether the drug is right for their patient. Some might prescribe the drug too readily.

Painkillers offer relief for people with chronic arthritis, back trouble and a host of other painful ailments. These drugs — hydrocodone and oxycodone, to name a couple — are what Foley prescribed most. These drugs can also be addictive.

Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh found himself needing an illegal supplier of painkillers when he got hooked. Recently actor Burt Reynolds checked into rehab after developing a drug habit following back surgery. It’s understandable that freely prescribing these dangerous drugs would be labeled a “clear and present danger” by the state.

What will happen to Foley’s patients now that his license is under emergency suspension? According to news reports, Foley was treating 2,000 patients. One neighbor who lived near Foley’s office reported seeing the same cars in the parking lot time after time.

The patients in his care will have to find a new doctor, which will be a hardship for some, depending on place of residence, comfort level they’d developed with Foley, and other factors.

Via the emergency suspension of Foley’s license, the state has given itself 90 days to determine how to proceed in the case. Given the seriousness of the allegations, the suspension makes sense.