In December 2008, the BC government announced its intention to in­crease the scopes of practice of nat­uropaths and some other health pro­fessions. In 2009, it legislated the inclusion of prescribing privileges of prescription drugs by naturopaths.

A recent article in the Vancouver Sun reported about half of the 369 practising naturopaths in BC have been certified to prescribe since September 2010. The naturopath’s course involves considerable self-study over 2 to 3 months, a couple of weekends of intensive training with UBC pharmacy faculty members, and examinations that take another weekend. The pass rate was 86%, with additional 7% on second try.[1]

It is most difficult to comprehend that with such short training the BC government allows BC naturopaths to prescribe from homeopathic medications with supposedly no harmful side effects (because of their minute dilutions with the active ingredients not measurable theoretically) to prescription drugs, with million- or billionfold higher concentrations and with potentially serious side effects. 

The use of prescription drugs is totally contradictory to the fundamental concept of the practice of naturopathy and homeopathy—until the BC government joins them together!
—H.C. George Wong, MD
Vancouver

References

1. Dedyna K. Licence to prescribe still rankles B.C.’s MDs. Vancouver Sun, 7 March 2011;D3.