May 14 2008
Colorado Massage Regulation
Colorado has just passed a regulatory bill (SB-219) for massage therapists that is awaiting the Governor’s signature. Although it started out as a bill for state licensing, it ended up being state registration, with all of the components of licensing, just by a different name. Such is the nature of legislative compromise. Passage of the bill is the result of several years of work by a coalition of AMTA and ABMP. As always when state regulation is on the table, there is a wide variety of opinion about the need or desirability for regulation.
I personally believe that regulation will be good for Colorado. We have many resort towns that have had no regulation at all, and anyone could show up for the ski season and proclaim themselves a “massage therapist”, whether or not they had any training or experience. In my mind, this put vacationing skiers at more risk for receiving substandard, possibly injurious, massage.
I welcome your thoughts on Colorado regulation, or on how things work where you live.
I have always found that once on the road to regulation the power of the individual falls into the hand of bureaucrats, I lived in Canada for three years so I watched freedom slowly disappear in the health industry, all of it started with well meaning regulation by individuals such as yourself, the following is a link to the current state of affairs in Canada. Three years ago the good intentions began with the regulation of the natural health products companies resulting in rules a year later that eliminate about 30% of the safe natural products produced or imported into Canada. Now all in the natural health are under threat, this same thing took place a few years ago in Europe and England resulting in the forced closure of all Natural Health Food producers and retail outlets. The law put forth by the UN is called Codex, and when enforced will put an end to natural health as we know it.
http://www.healthcanadaexposed.com/c51backups/Canadian%20Rights%20Facts.htm
Congratulations on your success! Licensure can only be good for all involved. Kansas is in the process of state regulation- a bill has been introduced in the state senate. Being involved in the drafting of legislature here, I can only tell you it is in the best interest for both therapist and client to have regulation, and a minimum standard of schooling for the therapist. The level of professionalism will be raised with regulation. Keep up the good work, Bob!
Congrats on the progress. As a past board member in Iowa I am very happy to hear Colorado and other states are FINALLY realizing the benefits of licensure/regulation. I hope it all works as well for you as it has here.
I am so excited for the state of Colorado to be on the way on some form of legislation! Vermont is the only state in the northeast that does not have any laws governing Massage Therapy. I know of serveral people that have not had an ounce of education to practice and they just throw up their shingle and calls themselves “a massage therapist.” Those that have been in legal trouble while practicing, have been just slapped on the wrist since there is not a license to suspend. And they are back out performing massage again! I studied massage in Arizona at a school that had a 750 hour program 12 years ago. I spent long hours of studying, working events, externships, internships, class time and now, just paying off a school loan. I do hope that our state eventually can clean up the profession here and not just say we have to “prove harm” in order to get a law! Without a scope of practice or any ethical guide lines, I use the AMTA as my guidelines to make my practice the best it can be!