Missouri marijuana ad features footage of state trooper, faces pushback from Highway Patrol
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is distancing itself from a video ad in support of a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana that features images of a trooper.
Legal Missouri 2022, the primary group advocating for a state constitutional amendment to authorize recreational sales, released an ad on Tuesday that includes video of a uniformed person who appears to be a Missouri trooper riding a motorcycle and also getting in and out of a vehicle.
“The Patrol is aware of Legal Missouri 2022’s advertisement featuring the Patrol. The Patrol did not give its permission for its emblem, name, or images to be used nor was permission sought,” the Highway Patrol said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who oversees the Highway Patrol as part of the Missouri Department of Public Safety, has been highly critical of the legalization effort, known as Amendment 3. He has called the proposal a “disaster,” echoing criticism that the amendment is overly complicated.
Missouri will vote on Amendment 3 during the Nov. 8 election.
The ad, which has 15-second and 30-second versions, argues Amendment 3 will aid law enforcement. In the ad, the words “SUPPORT THE POLICE” appear on screen as a trooper rides on a motorcycle and a narrator calls the amendment “a vote to let the police focus on serious crimes.”
Legal Missouri campaign manager John Payne confirmed the ad was voiced by the actor John Doman, who played the politically savvy Baltimore police deputy commissioner William Rawls in HBO’s “The Wire,” a show which explored the drawbacks of police drug enforcement among other issues.
The ad also says the proposal will generate funding for veterans’ health care and clear non-violent marijuana offenses from criminal records.
“The stock footage in our ad shows exactly why Amendment 3 will allow law enforcement to focus on fighting violent and serious crime,” Payne said in an email.
The ad comes after the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys last week warned the measure would make it harder to prosecute people for driving under the influence of marijuana. They also said drug dealers under the age of 21 would only be subject to a civil penalty for giving or selling marijuana to kids.
Legalization advocates and supporters of the amendment say those concerns are overblown. They contend prosecutors read the amendment incorrectly and that a person who sells marijuana to children would still be subject to a felony under state law.
A mid-September survey by Emerson College Polling and The Hill found 48% of voters support the amendment, with 35% opposed and 17% unsure. Another mid-September poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of Missouri TV stations found that 62% of voters support it, 22% oppose it and 16% weren’t certain.
The Star’s Kacen Bayless contributed reporting
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 10:42 AM.
