SB 25-032 would expand and clarify the scope of practice for Colorado naturopathic doctors, especially around prescribing and administering medicines and devices. The bill defines a broader naturopathic formulary that includes many legend drugs and certain controlled substances, while still excluding schedule I and II controlled substances and placing additional limits on benzodiazepines, oncological chemotherapeutics, narcotics, and other specified drugs. It also clarifies that naturopathic practice includes a wider range of diagnostic activities, such as physical exams, ultrasounds, phlebotomy, laboratory and radiological ordering, and other common general-practice procedures.
The bill creates new qualification requirements for naturopathic doctors who want access to the expanded formulary. Existing registrants would need to show pharmacology education, passage of a pharmacology exam, or equivalent out-of-state licensure before using the broader prescribing authority, while new applicants and renewals after specified dates would have to pass a pharmacology exam and complete ongoing pharmacology continuing education. The bill also bars prescribing to minors, restricts antipsychotics and ketamine unless approved through the advisory process, and requires certification before administering intravenous therapy. It further adds naturopathic doctors to the list of prescribers for electronic controlled-substance prescribing purposes.
In terms of state law, the bill amends multiple sections of the Naturopathic Doctor Act and related controlled-substance and prescribing statutes. It changes definitions, expands the advisory committee’s role in formulary recommendations, directs the division director to consult annually on formulary revisions, and creates new rulemaking and certification authority for the Department of Regulatory Agencies. It also affects pharmacies, wholesalers, and manufacturers by allowing them to provide the newly authorized medications to qualified naturopathic doctors in reliance on registration information.
The overall sentiment in the available voting history appears negative or at least not supportive in committee. The Senate Health & Human Services Committee first rejected a motion to send the bill to the Committee of the Whole, then later used a reversal of the previous roll call to postpone the bill indefinitely. That sequence suggests the bill did not have enough support to advance, despite a unanimous vote on one amendment.
The main points of contention appear to be the breadth of prescribing authority being granted to naturopathic doctors and the safeguards attached to that authority. Likely concerns include whether naturopathic doctors should be allowed to prescribe a wide range of legend and controlled medications, whether the education and exam requirements are sufficient, and whether the restrictions on minors, ketamine, antipsychotics, and IV therapy are adequate. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a modernization of naturopathic practice and a way to align Colorado with broader prescribing authority in other states, while opponents likely worried about patient safety, scope-of-practice expansion, and the use of controlled substances by non-physician providers.
The bill would substantially amend Colorado’s naturopathic medicine statutes by expanding the naturopathic formulary, adding new prescribing and administration authority, and imposing new education, examination, and certification requirements. It would also revise related controlled-substance and electronic prescribing provisions to recognize naturopathic doctors as prescribers, while preserving limits on certain drugs, minors, and intravenous therapy. The Department of Regulatory Agencies would gain additional rulemaking and oversight responsibilities over formulary revisions, pharmacology qualifications, and IV therapy certification.
The committee record suggests mixed-to-negative sentiment overall. Although one amendment passed unanimously, the bill itself failed to advance out of Senate Health & Human Services and was ultimately postponed indefinitely after a reversal of the prior roll call. That indicates there was not sufficient support to move the measure forward, even if some members were willing to modify it.
The central controversy is the expansion of naturopathic prescribing authority. Supporters appear to favor broader access to medicines and devices, including legend drugs and certain controlled substances, paired with pharmacology training and exam requirements. Opponents likely focused on patient safety, the appropriateness of allowing naturopathic doctors to prescribe or administer a wide range of medications, and whether the bill’s limits on minors, ketamine, antipsychotics, and IV therapy were enough to mitigate risk. The bill’s failure to advance suggests these concerns outweighed support for the scope expansion.