CBS is reporting from their St. Louis affiliate KMOX that a local police officer was issued a gag order to stop him from lobbying to change marijuana laws.
Sgt. Gary Wiegert is a part-time lobbyist representing a group called “Show Me Cannabis” who lobby for legislation to reduce the penalties for possession of marijuana. Police Chief Sam Dotson issued the gag order to stop Wiegert from making comments that are outside of acceptable parameters for an officer of the law.
Wiegert’s attorney Al Watkins has taken this gag order to court by seeking an injunction against the St. Louise Police Department. Watkins says the Department has a policy allowing officers to lobby. “It is not the police department’s job, role or under any circumstances do they have the authority to dictate what he’s lobbying for.” said Watkins. “There is no reason for anyone in the heartland of America to sit down and roll over when their constitutional rights have been impeded.”
From the organization’s website: “Show-Me Cannabis is an association of organizations and individuals who believe that cannabis prohibition is a failed policy, and regulating cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol would better control the production, distribution and consumption of cannabis than the current criminal market system does.”
The gag order comes after a March 8th announcement of Wiegert’s hiring as Show-Me Cannabis’ new lobbyist. The letter announcing his hiring is below:
LATEST NEWSLETTER
Released March 8, 2013
Welcome Our New Lobbyist! By John Payne
I am extremely happy to announce that Show-Me Cannabis Regulation has contracted with Gary Wiegert to lobby for the reform of Missouri’s marijuana laws in Jefferson City. Gary is a sergeant with the Saint Louis Police Department and has served on the city’s police force for over 32 years. He also represented his fellow officers as president of the Saint Louis Police Officer’s Association from 1999 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2009.
In his political life, Gary has long advocated for a more limited government. He hosted WGNU radio shows Bad Boys from 1999 to 2006 and Constitutionally Correct in 2012. Most recently, Wiegert has put his conservative principles into action as a lobbyist for the Saint Louis Tea Party.
Gary believes that our marijuana policies are the perfect example of a wasteful, big government program. As a police officer he knows that arresting people for marijuana is a waste of his time, a waste of taxpayer dollars, and has done nothing to reduce the use of marijuana.
I am very excited to have Gary on the team. He speaks firsthand to the failure of cannabis prohibition, demonstrates the strong bipartisan appeal of the issue, and will be taken seriously by the overwhelmingly Republican legislature.
Gary has spent the past couple days in the legislature, and he is finding a great deal of support for cannabis law reforms. (And a great deal of surprise that a cannabis law reform group finally has a lobbyist at the Capitol!) However, while many legislators are willing to express private support for reform, especially the decriminalization bill, many are afraid to speak up publicly.