Section 160 Unauthorized practice or impersonation; penalty

Section 160. A person who does not possess a valid license and existing and current certificate of registration as an acupuncturist pursuant to the provisions of sections one hundred and forty-nine to one hundred and sixty-two, inclusive, shall not in any manner represent himself as an acupuncturist nor use in connection with his name the words or letters “Acupuncturist”, “Licensed Acupuncturist”, “Doctor of Acupuncture”, “Acupuncture Therapist”, “L.Ac.”, “R.Ac.”, or any other letter, words, abbreviations, or insignia indicating or implying that he is an acupuncturist. Whoever, not being lawfully authorized to practice acupuncture within the commonwealth and registered under section one hundred and fifty-five, holds himself out as a practitioner of acupuncture or practices or attempts to practice acupuncture, or whoever practices acupuncture under a false or assumed name or under a name other than that by which he is registered, or whoever impersonates another practitioner, or whoever practices or attempts to practice any fraud in connection with the filing of an application, or whoever files an application under a false or assumed name or under a name other than his own, or whoever impersonates or attempts to impersonate another applicant for registration during an examination, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not less than one month nor more than one year, or both. A person rendering acupuncture services in violation of this section shall recover no compensation therefor.