Will CA Nullify the FDA on GMO's?

One of the most important elements of a true free market is freedom of information. The more information a consumer can access about the products and services they are looking to purchase, the more educated a decision said consumer can make. This is what makes the internet such a powerful tool in the marketplace, and why we have spoken out along with many others against internet censorship legislation like SOPA and PIPA. The internet gives the consumer the abililty to do their own research, as opposed to just rely on federal regulatory agencies and the not-so-watchdog media. In fact, without the internet I likely wouldn't be writing this blog right now. And not just for the obvious reason that blogs wouldn't exist without the internet, but also because it's likely I never would have heard about GMO's - Genetically Modified Organisms.

Over the past several years as I've begun to feel the wear and tear of my 20's taking it's toll on my now 30's body, I've become increasingly interested in my personal health. After all, what's the point in spending all this time and energy in a philosophical battle for my liberty if I don't have a functional, healthy body to enjoy it with? It turns out I actually enjoy living quite a bit, and I'd like to keep doing it for as long as possible. This has led me to do more and more research on nutrition and what goes into my body, and it's only through this research that I began to learn about GMO's.

There are certainly many solid arguments in favor of the use of GMO's in the food supply. It would be difficult to make any sort of blanket statement concerning the products of a certain technology, as any technology can and likely does produce both positive and negative effects. A knife can be used to chop vegetables and cut steak. It can also be used to stab a dude to death. That doesn't make the knife itself good or bad. After all, it's just an innocent knife, it doesn't know what it's doing! Wait, what were we talking about again?

Oh yeah, back to GMO's. The fact of the matter is that GMO's haven't really been around long enough nor have any long term studies been done to fully know the effects of GMO's on humans, though early studies have shown potential issues. One recent study has linked Monsanto's GMO corn to organ failure. I suppose that's not entirely shocking, considering the corn is genetically modified to produce pesticides in it's own tissue. But just because we know some GMO's have a harmful effect doesn't mean that GMO technology as a whole is a terrible thing, as in my silly knife analogy. It is, however, something that any consumer that cares about what they put into their body should at least be aware of and make an informed decision on. That should be simple enough!  Just do your research on GMO's, avoid them if you want and eat them if you're not concerned. Easy sleazy...right...?....

...not so fast.

Recently the FDA, which along with the USDA essentially has a monopoly on food regulation in the United States, recently ruled that not only will it not require GMO foods to be labelled as such, but it  won't allow non-GMO foods to label themselves as such either. Their logic? Too much labelling will "confuse" the consumer. Clearly the FDA doesn't share my view of information being being beneficial to the consumer.

So what's a concerned citizen to do? Well one concerned citizen in California , Pamm Larry, decided to respond by organizing a ballot initiative that would require the labelling of all GMO food as such in California.  The initiative, known as the California Right To Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, has been submitted to the State Attorney General and volunteers are in the process of collecting the 800,000 signatures needed to appear on the ballot in the November 2012 election.  And here's a fun little fact that may come a surprise to regular readers of this blog: I fully support it.

"But wait, I thought you Lions of the Liberty were against regulation and all that jazz? Isn't your precious free market going to sort all this stuff out in your little utopian world?!?!", says Johnny Progressive.  Well Johnny, not exactly.  It's not regulation per se that is bad, it's government monopoly over regulation.  In a world where the State had not taken monopoly control over regulating our food supply, I have no doubt that multiple competing regulatory agencies would spring up that would provide regulatory guidelines and information regarding food.  These bodies already exist in some arenas, such as the Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator helping consumrs make informed decisions about businesses and charities.  But with food regulation,  it's the FDA/USDA double-headed monster or bust. So what's a freedom lovin' individual who just wants to know what's in his food to do?

The ballot initiative to label GMO's in California is an attempt to utilize the concept of state nullification.  This is the idea that the states have both the right and the duty to reject unconstitutitional laws from the Federal Government, and it is an important concept of the original constitution. Nullification was the reason the the 10th Amendment , which emphasizes that any poweres not explicitly granted to the Federal Government are reserved for the states and the people to decide.  The nullification movement in the United States has seen exponential growth as of late; with recent examples including states passing laws refusing to comply with Obamacare and the indefinite detention provisions of the NDAA.  Iit's fitting that the first state to attempt to nullify FDA regulations is California, the same state the paved the way for the modern nullification movement by essentially nullifying the DEA's marijuana laws and legalizing the plant for medicinal use in 1996.

I will continue to hope and strive for a world where the most important aspects of our lives are regulated not by government, but by competing market forces.  Until then, a great place to start is for states to employ the concept of nullifcation to pass their own laws and to reject the abuse of power by federal regulatory agencies.  Of course having indivividual states enter into food regulation is by no means a perfect solution, but it is an incremental step to weakening government control over the food supply.  Only once this federal monopoly is broken can we hope to see the free market enter into the regulatory picture of the food industry. 

Until then....pick your corn wisely.

Look at all the yummy stuff in my corn! Thanks, Monsanto!

For more on the GMO's and the California Ballot Initiative, consider tuning into The New American  Media's "Agree to Disagree" radio show this Friday, streaming live at 7:30 EST/4:30 PST. Host and friend of Lions of Liberty Brian Engelman will interview the organizer of the  California Right To Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, Pamm Larry.  It stands to be an informative hour for anyone interested in this issue.