A bill to add limited prescription rights to the Colorado chiropractic practice act has died in legislative committee without testimony. State Senator Marilyn Musgrave, sponsor of the controversial measure, cited "disagreement within the profession" as the reason for the bill's demise.
The pro-prescription rights group, the Colorado Chiropractic Society, had lobbied to pass the bill several months prior to the beginning of the 1998 legislative session.
The Colorado Chiropractic Association (CCA), headed by executive director Darcy McKinstry, has opposed prescription rights for DCs in Colorado.
This was the second try for prescription rights in Colorado. The first attempt was in 1997. That bill died in its first legislative committee following testimony by the CCA and the Colorado Medical Society, among others. Dr. Lester Lamb of Western States testified for the bill in 1997.
Over the last five years, the Colorado Chiropractic Association has conducted a number of surveys to poll the state's DCs on the prescription issue. The results have been consistent: two-thirds have opposed including prescription rights to the practice act.
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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A central challenge in creating our identity is that chiropractic is a method of care, not a technique or procedure. This is an important concept for us to promote. Our patients are treated with lifestyle modification, exercise, nutritional supplements, diet and a whole-body approach to accelerate the natural healing process. We are not simply CMT providers.
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