Pubdate: Sat, 16 Jul 2016
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2016 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Meg Bernhard

PRO-MARIJUANA GROUP TO REVISE COMPLAINT AGAINST WALPOLE POLICE CHIEF

State campaign finance officials have dismissed a complaint against 
the police chief of Walpole, but supporters of a ballot question to 
legalize marijuana now say they will take their case to the state 
Ethics Commission.

The pro-marijuana group, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, 
has accused the chief of improper political advocacy on the job.

Last month, Chief John Carmichael, who has been outspoken on the 
dangers of substance abuse, participated in an event in Framingham 
organized by opponents of the November ballot measure to describe 
what he said were public safety hazards posed by edible products with 
marijuana in them. The pro-legalization group said Carmichael should 
not have come to the event in uniform during work hours, and should 
not have used his departmental car to get there.

The state Office of Campaign and Political Finance determined that 
"it's not a finance issue and felt it was more appropriate to be 
handled by the Ethics Commission," according to spokesman Jason Tait.

Jim Borghesani, spokesman for the pro-legalization group, said the 
organization will now revise its complaint and submit it to the 
Ethics Commission.

"We felt that the Office of Campaign and Political Finance was 
appropriate for a start," said Borghesani. "Sometimes things end up 
in a different venue than you anticipated."

Carmichael said he did nothing wrong by participating in the event. 
Rather, he said, he has "a moral obligation to educate the community 
on what I know about these drugs."

"I am not here to tell anyone how to vote. That is not my job," he 
said, noting he was "a little shocked and disheartened" by the 
original complaint.

Carmichael was part of a group that visited Colorado to learn about 
the effects of marijuana legalization there, and he has expressed 
concern about the effect of edible marijuana products on children.

The proposal to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use will be 
on the Massachusetts ballot in November. Top state politicians, 
including Governor Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, 
are vocal in their opposition to the measure.

"It's unfortunate that the marijuana industry is going to continue 
with this baseless complaint against a respected officer," Nick 
Bayer, campaign manager for the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy 
Massachusetts, which opposes the ballot measure, said in a statement.

Spokesman Corey Welford also pointed to the state ethics law 
regarding public employees, which allows certain officials to use 
public resources to inform the public about a topic.

The Ethics Commission website includes one example of a permissible 
action under the law that specifically addresses a "question 
concerning legalizing medical use of marijuana." A colonel of the 
State Police could, in her official capacity, discuss at a forum the 
impact of the proposal on agency operations, the website reads.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom