Colorado’s determination to be on the leading edge of legalizing things is laudable. As much as I would have preferred to have a mixed cocktail delivered to my home, I suppose a good trip with magic mushrooms will have to suffice.

Proposition 122, passed in 2022 by more than 53% of Coloradans, decriminalized the possession and sharing of psilocybin and psilocin, among other psychedelics. It did not, however, allow for the sale of these substances. Humor aside, there is promising evidence these natural remedies may prove helpful in treating anxiety, depression and even PTSD. Our state and our nation are in the middle of a mental health crisis. The suicide rate is rising once again. Perhaps it’s wise for us to leave no stone unturned.

Keep people in mind when regulating natural medicines | POINT

As legislators discuss whether to introduce legislation that sets guardrails on the proposition, proponents of the original ballot measure are crying foul, claiming any modification violates the people’s will. They believe any restrictions on the amount a person can possess would conflict with the spirit of the measure. Respectfully, I disagree.

It’s important to distinguish between a statutory change (a change in state law) and a constitutional amendment (a change to the Constitution of the State of Colorado). Effectively, modifications to state law are no different than the hundreds of bills passed by the General Assembly every year, except they are initiated by the people instead of lawmakers. As such, lawmakers have not just the ability but the right to modify said law. A constitutional amendment, however, would have prevented changes unless it went before a vote of the people.

Proposition 122 was a statutory change, not a constitutional amendment.

You’d probably have a difficult time finding any substantial ballot proposition that wasn’t followed by a “clean up” bill or modifications soon after its passage, addressing a variety of unintended consequences and mistakes that weren’t considered or caught beforehand. Lawmakers are not proposing to re-criminalize possession of these hallucinogenic plants, and rightfully so. Instead, they seem to be taking a careful, informed approach to properly implementing a new law no other state (except Oregon) has on its books. Lawmakers are right to ask law enforcement, municipalities, counties and other stakeholders about potential tweaks to assist in a smooth rollout.

Perhaps a reasonable limitation should be placed on exactly how much of these substances one can possess, or perhaps cities and counties should have the ability to decide whether supervised administration sites are right for them. I’m not here to provide these answers but to instead mount a defense of the right of legislators to search for them.

If legislators overstep, I have good news: they are elected officials. If voters believe their representative or senator violates the will of the people and the spirit of Proposition 122, they have every right to boot ’em from the Golden Dome. As we wait for their action, I hope Coloradans enjoy their newfound freedom responsibly and pray that those seeking alternative treatment find the peace they seek.

Sage Naumann is a conservative commentator and strategist. He is vice president of communications at 76 Group and was previously the spokesman for the Colorado Senate Republicans. Follow him on Twitter @SageNaumann.