Doctor who told patients that face masks cause carbon dioxide poisoning loses his license

An Oregon doctor who continuously defied COVID-19 guidelines and spread false information about face masks has had his license revoked, Newsweek reports.

Steven Arthur LaTulippe was issued an order from the Oregon Medical Board earlier this month for "dishonorable or unprofessional conduct; repeated negligence in the practice of medicine; and gross negligence in the practice of medicine." He was also fined $10,000.

This is LaTulippe's second suspension.

The first one, which occurred this past December, came after the board found that his family practice, Southview Medical Arts in Dallas, operated in such a way that it constituted an "immediate danger" to the public and presented a "serious danger" to public health and safety. He also told his patients that masks are a source of carbon dioxide.

"[LaTulippe] had trained his receptionist 'to look at [the patient] and just take a look at them and see if they look sick,' and, if the patient was 'smiling and happy,' the receptionist was instructed to ask how the patient was feeling," medical board documents said, adding that he had patients exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms to remove their masks.

At least 95 percent of his patients did not wear masks at his clinic between March and December 2020, he told board officials. The Board also found that in at least eight cases, LaTulippe prescribed opioids to patients who may not have needed them in the first place.