Bills would allow chiropractors to give nutritional injections

The fight to allow chiropractors to give their patients vitamin shots is back for the 2020 Legislative Session.

Chiropractors were once authorized to give vitamin and enzyme injections, but in 1957 state law was changed to only allow oral nutritional supplements.

Since those are readily available next to the pharmacy counter in every Publix, Walgreens and CVS statewide, chiropractors are effectively shut out of that revenue stream.

St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes is sponsoring a bill (SB 1138) that would allow chiropractors to once again “administer articles of natural origin,” which the bill defines as “vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, hyaluronic acid, enzymes, saline, antioxidants, dextrose, glandulars, cellular components, extracts, water, botanicals, phytonutrients, and homeopathics.”

The House companion bill (HB 677) is being carried by Winter Springs Republican Rep. David Smith

The change wouldn’t be immediate — chiropractors would need to complete a 36-hour training program before they could stick their patients with a needle.

Florida already allows pharmacists to give flu shots, and oftentimes patients are expected to inject their own drugs.

A woman visiting a fertility doctor, for instance, may be sent home with a prescription for IVF hormone treatment. When she picks up the syringe from the pharmacy, she’ll be expected to self-administer the drug after only a few minutes of training.

The Florida Chiropractic Physician Association (FCPA), which is backing the bills, argues that allowing a trained professional to give the injection is safer for patients. The practice is currently legal in Oklahoma, Idaho, New Mexico and Utah.

In addition to tackling the injection issue, the bills would repeal the voluntary registration of chiropractic assistants and would allow for chiropractors to complete 20 hours of their required 40 hours of continuing education online.

So far, neither bill has been scheduled for a committee hearing.