MARCH 2008
A Health Freedom bill was introduced this session, however it did not pass out of the committee.
The Health Freedom group in Maryland is still meeting and hoping to take a Health Freedom Bill again next year. They are looking for volunteers to help them in this grassroots effort.
We also need a Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation State Coordinator.
February 23, 2009, Delegate Feldman of Maryland introduced HB 1380, entitled the Complementary Alternative Medicine Health Care Providers – Scope of Practice and Provider Registry Act. Health freedom advocates were surprised to see a registration component on the bill and will strongly oppose it because it requires registration before doing a healing act. However proponents of the bill are open to discussing removal of the registration components. Negotiating this bill will be important work for Maryland health freedom advocates to arrive at an outcome that is acceptable to independent practitioners practicing in the public domain.
Last year Marylandintroduced the Health Occupations - Complementary Alternative Medicine Health Care Providers bill, HB 730, which would have protected consumer access to many healing arts and would allow practitioners that are not licensed by the state to practice their healing arts under a safe harbor bill that requires practitioners to avoid certain prohibited conduct and requires proper disclosure to the consumers. The bill was heard but tabled indefinitely.
Maryland is the home of the Tai Sophia Institute. Tai Sophia has a master’s program in herbalism and they are watching this legislation very carefully. Another health freedom group in Maryland called MD Freestate, was successful at getting a bill all the way to the Governor in the spring of 2007 which would have protected rights to practice mercury free dentistry, but the Governor vetoed the bill. Freestate focuses on licensed professionals and does not work on legislation for unlicensed persons.
Maryland
Sunshine Health Freedom State Coordinator
Position available
Maryland contact for Health Freedom Group
Dr. Lakshmi C. Mishra
Phone: 301-762-8262
