PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A lawyer for the producer of the “Girls Gone Wild” video series says he is confident that valid prescriptions for pain killers will clear his client of drug possession charges.

Aaron Dyer of Los Angeles said that he has one prescription in hand to prove Joe Francis, 30, of Lake Tahoe, Nev., legally possessed hydrocodone. Francis is looking for another prescription to clear a second charge, Dyer said.

Prosecutors replaced drug trafficking charges this week with counts of possessing hydrocodone and oxycodone without a prescription. Penalties can range from probation to a maximum of five years for possession compared to 30 years for trafficking.

Francis faced 44 other charges including racketeering, promoting the sexual performance of a child and using a child in a sexual performance.

The charges resulted from a spring break visit to nearby Panama City Beach to film sexually explicit material for “Girls Gone Wild” videos. Francis’ company, Mantra Films Inc., is based in Santa Monica, Calif.