(1) The legislature finds that a significant number of Montanans choose naturopathic medicine for their health care needs and declares that naturopathic medicine is a distinct health care profession that affects the public health, safety, and welfare and contributes to public freedom of choice in health care.
(2) The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards for the licensing and regulation of naturopathic physicians in order to protect the public health, safety, and welfare; to ensure that naturopathic health care by qualified naturopathic physicians is available to the people of Montana; and to provide a means of identifying qualified naturopathic physicians.