Colorado’s initiative process strikes again. It appears that voters, by a slim margin, have approved Proposition 122, which legalizes the use of psilocybin mushrooms.

This should never have gone to the voters.

As we said in our editorial prior to the election, we are not against the use of psilocybin mushrooms for medical purposes, if the research shows it is safe and effective. So-called “magic mushrooms” do appear to have real medical benefits to people suffering from depression and PTSD.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has gone so far as to designate psychedelic mushrooms as a Breakthrough Therapy for treating depression. That designation speeds up research and review since this therapy is seen as being a major improvement over current treatments.

“Colorado voters saw the benefit of regulated access to natural medicines, including psilocybin, so people with PTSD, terminal illness, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues can heal,” co-proponents, Kevin Matthews and Veronica Lightening Horse Perez said in emailed statement, according to The Colorado Sun.

We understand why proponents are pleased. They believe this measure will help treat a range of medical conditions, but we’re talking about a medical treatment. We need to know for sure that these substances work. The proper avenue is the FDA. It’s why that agency exists.

Instead of a careful examination, through scientific research, voters have now thrown the door open for mass experimentation with this drug at home or in state-regulated centers.

This isn’t the way the Founders of the country thought the government should work. They set up a system of representative democracy where voters picked the people who then made the law. They didn’t want voters having direct say over legislation.

Colorado decided it wanted to give voters more say and we’ve seen the results. Some of the worst public policy in Colorado has been driven by the initiative process. This is because there are some things voters just are not equipped to determine.

We think the efficacy of a new type of medical treatment is not something voters can determine. This is why we have legislatures and government agencies. It’s their job to look at the evidence and engage with experts to develop sound policy. Instead we get an up or down vote and, boom, we’ve got legal mushrooms.

We saw the same thing play out with reintroducing wolves into Colorado. That may be the right thing to do from an ecological standpoint, but that should be determined by biologists and land managers, not voters.

We don’t think the state should throw out the entire initiative process entirely. Measures referred by the legislature should certainly continue. Voters should still be asked if they want to raise or lower taxes, for example. However, the citizen-led initiative process should be made much more difficult.

This initiative process has given voters confusing ballot measures and competing measures. Ultimately, it is giving us bad policy. It’s time for a change to this experiment in extra-constitutional direct democracy.

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Editorial Board

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