A North Miami Beach police officer is so worried about the possibility of Florida approving medical marijuana in the November election that he distributed a mass email warning residents about the dangers of the doobie.
According to reports, Commander Tom Carney recently sent out a press release called the “Truth About Medical Marijuana,” which apparently contained a plethora of pot propaganda aimed at persuading voters across the city to vote against a measure to legalize medicinal cannabis in the Sunshine State.
Of course, it is against state law for police officers to engage in political banter while on the job, so when local officials became aware of Carney’s underhanded anti-cannabis campaign, they forced him to apologize for breaking the law. However, instead of emailing a follow-up, Carney resent the contemptuous email that got him into trouble in the first place.
“From the get-go it shouldn’t have been disseminated and then, when it was done wrong the first time, it didn’t need to be compounded the second time,” City Councilwoman Barbara Kramer said in an emailed statement to city officials. “Guess I’m not the only one who thinks the PD shouldn’t be sending this out.”
Although recent polls indicate that the majority of Florida voters support the legalization of medical marijuana, pot proponents say that has not stopped law enforcement and government officials from attempting to sabotage the upcoming election. “It is unfortunate that a member of a law enforcement agency would break the law in the service of denying relief to suffering Floridians who could be helped by medical marijuana,” Ben Pollara, with United for Care, told the Miami Herald.
In an effort to prevent additional miscommunications and embarrassment, North Miami Beach City Attorney Jose Smith drafted Carney’s email apology, which was sent near the end of last week. “There was no intent to advocate for or against any issue, but rather, to provide general information from a well-respected police organization,” reads Carney’s latest email. “I will be more careful in the future to ensure that any correspondence is not viewed as political advocacy, especially prior to elections.”
Many residents poked fun at Carney’s emailed rebuttal, declaring that his attempt at covering his rear end was just as pathetic as his efforts to change their minds about wanting a statewide medical marijuana program.
