The performance of acupuncture by a certified acupuncturist or other licentiate legally authorized to practice acupuncture within his or her scope of practice or a person licensed or certified in another state to perform acupuncture or other forms of traditional Asian medicine, alone or in conjunction with other forms of traditional Asian medicine, when carried on in a program affiliated with and under the jurisdiction of an approved medical school or approved acupuncture school, for the primary purpose of scientific investigation of acupuncture, shall not be in violation of this chapter, but those procedures shall be carried on only under the supervision of a licensed physician and surgeon.
Any medical school or approved acupuncture school conducting research into acupuncture under this section shall report to the Legislature annually on the fifth legislative day of the regular session of the Legislature concerning the results of that research, the suitability of acupuncture as a therapeutic technique, and performance standards for persons who perform acupuncture.
(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 649, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2006.)