Colorado In 2008Colorado’s Representative McKinley introduced the Colorado Health Freedom Act, a safe harbor exemption health freedom bill that would protect consumer access to practitioners such as herbalists, traditional naturopaths, homeopaths, and other healing arts practitioners practicing in the public domain. The bill was heard in a hearing and postponed. The bill was not reintroduced in 2009, however freedom activists, including Colorado’s Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation State Coordinators, continue to work to educate the legislature about the need for a safe harbor act and protection of access to the healing arts and hope to reintroduce the bill in the future.
In addition, the 2009 session called for urgent action by health freedom advocates to oppose a bill that would jeopardize the right to practice the many unlicensed traditional practices such as traditional naturopathy, herbalism, and homeopathy. HB 1175 attempted to regulate naturopathic doctors. The scope of practice listed in the bill would cover all of natural health and as introduced spells out criminal charges for anyone practicing the natural healing arts that does not hold a state license to practice naturopathic medicine.
Colorado’s Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation State Coordinators took a lead role, attempting to communicate with bill proponents and authors regarding their concerns and even designing important amendments to consider. Many hours were put in by leaders and Colorado SHFF went to great lengths, hiring a local Colorado attorney to review the bill and testify at the hearing on behalf of traditional naturopaths. The outcome of their efforts were the defeat of the bill.
Colorado has been a hot-bed of political activity regarding these issues in the past three years, and Health Freedom leadership has come from a number of organizations including Colorado’s Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation, Coalition for Natural Health, Colorado Coalition for Natural Health, Colorado Springs Health Freedom Steering Committee, Colorado Alliance for Health Freedom, and National Health Freedom Action. Many groups in Colorado are hoping for a successful safe harbor exemption bill passing in the future.
Colorado
Sunshine Health Freedom State Coordinator
Jan
2224 H Rd.
Grand Junction, Co. 81505
Phone: 970-245-5772
