Bill > SB1333

This bill would extend the operation of the Naturopathic Doctors Act, which regulates naturopathic doctors in California, until an unspecified date, as it is currently set to expire on January 1, 2027. It also expands the scope of practice for naturopathic doctors by allowing them to perform "minor office procedures," which include care for lacerations, skin lesions, and abrasions, incision and drainage of abscesses, trephination of subungual hematomas (a procedure to relieve pressure from bleeding under a fingernail or toenail), removal of foreign bodies, and the use of local anesthetics. Furthermore, the bill significantly revises how naturopathic doctors can prescribe and administer medications, removing the previous requirement for supervision by a physician and surgeon and standardized procedures for furnishing drugs. Instead, naturopathic doctors would be authorized to independently furnish, order, or prescribe a broader range of drugs, including Schedule II through V controlled substances, provided they have completed specific coursework in pharmacology. This change also necessitates amendments to the Health and Safety Code to reflect that naturopathic doctors can now write prescriptions for these controlled substances under the new provisions.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1333