The latest chapter of the medical marijuana saga in Colorado has inspired me to think of the very basis of our government and how we have chosen to run our society.
Don’t worry, I won’t get too deep, but bear with me.
Sensible Colorado, a non-profit made up of supporters of the medicinal marijuana dispensaries, announced Thursday that they plan to draft a ballot initiative with better regulation of the medical marijuana industry, just in case the legislature passes regulation they don’t prefer.
Basically, if the legislature passes a law they don’t like, they plan to get the voters of Colorado to help overrule them.
While that is perfectly legal, and seemingly the new way of governing in Colorado, it makes me wonder if all of us still prefer to live in a republic, versus a democracy.
Yes, if you recall your high school civics course, we indeed live in a republic, where we elect representatives to handle our government, instead of a democracy, where we all show up for every little decision. I’m simplifying, but I think you know what I mean.
So if medical marijuana advocates can simply write their own regulation and have it passed by the voters, why are we going through the hassle of having our elected representatives spend time on it at all? I realize that the voters still need to have their say, but it is realistic to think they can succeed.
While realistic, is it the best option?
Is it a good idea to let a well funded campaign of industry advocates, from any industry for that matter, be the ones to write laws that supersede ones passed by our own elected officials?
There is an argument to be made that industry advocates already write our laws within the legislature and congress, but that’s another blog.
I guess my point is that while imperfect; our elected officials are at least usually worried about their legacy and therefore, more often than not, looking at the big picture.
Going the purely democratic route, while appearing a bit fairer, doesn’t make sense in the long run. If it did, that’s the way our government would have evolved two centuries ago.
So, that brings us back to the big question. What’s the best way for Colorado to handle our laws? Should we hire professionals to handle it, or simply do it ourselves? Should we get behind more efforts to overrule our legislature?
I think if we’re honest, really honest, we’ll come to the same conclusion that most of us do when we walk around Home Depot.
Yes, doing a project yourself seems like it would save money, be faster, and overall get a better job done. But generally, do it yourself projects end up being more expensive, take twice as long to finish and end up looking like a job done by an amateur.
The big difference is, when you apply this theory to the state constitution, you can’t hire the local handyman to clean up your mess. It’s a much more expensive money pit to fix.
Just in case you’re looking for proof, let me add this quick litmus test. If you are conservative, you probably do not like Amendment 23 and its effect on our state budget. If you are progressive, you likely think the Taxpayers Bill Of Rights is to blame for our current state budget mess. Both were products of do-it yourself governing.
So even both sides of the political spectrum can seemingly agree, sometimes it makes sense to call a professional.