March 1, 2025

The chiropractic profession in Montana faces a critical challenge as House Bill 500 (HB 500) threatens to fundamentally alter the profession by introducing prescriptive rights for chiropractors. If passed, this legislation would enable chiropractors to prescribe and administer a range of pharmaceuticals, including muscle relaxers, NSAIDs, steroids, topical anesthetics, and trigger point injections—marking a dramatic departure from chiropractic’s core principles.

The Georgia Council of Chiropractic is vehemently opposed to this bill.

The bill modifies Montana’s chiropractic statutes to allow for drug prescriptions, fundamentally altering the nature of the profession. The Montana Board of Chiropractors would gain the authority to expand the list of permissible drugs, allowing pharmaceutical influence to shape the field.

Dr. Daniel Tew, President of the GCC, stated “At its core, chiropractic is dedicated to the detection and correction of the vertebral subluxation. If HB 500 passes, it will open the floodgates for further medicalization, leading to a profession indistinguishable from traditional, allopathic medicine.”

The time to defend chiropractic is now. The future of the profession depends on those who stand up against the erosion of its foundational principles.