New Mexico Chiropractors Push New Drug Bill

New Mexico is once again attempting to expand the drugs that so called "Advanced Practice Chiropractic Physicians" can prescribe and to equate what they do with the practice of primary care. Several years ago, the New Mexico Chiropractic Board, under the leadership of William Doggett DC, then the Chairman of the NMBC, was the first state to allow chiropractors to prescribe drugs. The state was also the first to effectively tier the profession and create two classes of chiropractors: regular chiropractors and those holding themselves out to be "Advanced" because they can prescribe drugs and suggesting to the public that they are better than "regular" chiropractors.

Hundreds of chiropractors have reportedly been certified as "Advanced" in New Mexico and other states are attempting to duplicate what New Mexico did.

Doggett went so far as to brag that chiropractors would be able to do vaginal injections.

Shortly after gaining the right to prescribe drugs, the New Mexico chiropractors attempted to add even more drugs to the formulary but were unsuccesfull in that attempt.

Now they are attempting to do this through the introduction of a bill in the New Mexico Legislature.

CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE CURRENT BILL

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE HISTORY OF DRUGS IN NEW MEXICO

The Bill is extremely dangerous and states:

"A level two certified advanced practice chiropractic physician may prescribe, administer, inject and dispense dangerous drugs that are used in a standard primary care practice, with the exception of controlled substances enumerated under Schedule I and Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act."

If passed, this bill will negatively affect the practice of chiropractic in every state and put millions of patients at risk. Chiropractors and their patients are being urged to call and/or email the members of the New Mexico Senate Public Affairs Committee whose names and contact information appear at the end of this article. Have the numbers available in your office and ask your patients to call each one right there and then.

THIS REQUEST IS EXTREMELY TIME SENSITIVE.

Please call and email beginning Friday, January 27, 2017. We need this done as soon as possible. The sooner the better. The bill is coming up for discussion and a vote on Tuesday, January 31 or Thursday, February 2, 2017. If you have time to do only one thing, calling is more effective. When you call just ask the secretary to let the Senator know you are asking him/her to vote against passage of SB 150. Don’t try to talk about the bill unless they ask you to. If they ask you if you are from New Mexico and you are not, say so, but tell them the bill will put patients at risk so you feel compelled to call and weigh in on the bill.

It will also harm the profession.

How? If one state requires this, it will soon be taught in all schools and become a requirement and change chiropractic into a different profession.

Be quick and be polite! You are talking to Secretaries who are there to register your opinion. They are not involved in the vote.

Also, it's important that you email a simple letter to each Senator stating that you are against the bill as it will put chiropractic patients at risk, as well as negatively affect the entire chiropractic profession.

Here are the members of the New Mexico Senate Public Affairs Committee:

Senator Craig Brandt 505-986-4385
craig.brandt@nmlegis.gov
Senator Candace Gould 505-986-4266
candace.gould@nmlegis.gov
Senator Stuart Ingle 505-986-4702
stuart.ingle@nmlegis.gov
Senator Jeff Steinborn 505-986-4862
jeff.steinborn@nmlegis.gov
Senator Mimi Stewart 505-986-4267
mimi.stewart@nmlegis.gov

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HISTORY ON DRUGS IN NEW MEXICO