A St. Louis police sergeant plans to sue after his department revoked his secondary job permit in an effort to silence his advocacy of legalizing marijuana. Sergeant Gary Wiegert is a lobbyist for Show-Me Cannabis, a pro-pot organization.
The department had granted Wiegert permission last month to work a secondary job as a lobbyist in Jefferson City. Weigert has also had permission to lobby for the Tea Party movement for the past three years.
Wiegert's most recent lobbying activity made headline recently, when Police Chief Sam Dotson denounced it as "not what is expected of our officers."
Wiegert’s attorney, Albert Watkins told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the sergeant's superiors had asked him on Friday to refrain from any political statements until they could meet to discuss the issue.
Then on Tuesday the department yanked Wiegert's approval to work the secondary job as a lobbyist. A move Watkins calls a violation of the sergeant's first amendment rights.
