Pair of Legal Missouri 2022 ads removed from YouTube following cease-and-desist letter from MSHP
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ.)
A pair of advertisements supporting the recreational use of marijuana were removed from YouTube following a cease-and-desist letter was issued by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol claimed on Thursday that the ads -- one lasting 30 seconds, the other 15 seconds -- contained unauthorized use of the MSHP name and emblem, since the emblem is a registered service mark, according to the letter.
The Highway Patrol said in the letter that its imagery appeared three times in both ads.
The advertisements were about Amendment 3, which -- if passed -- would legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri and clear some marijuana convictions from criminal records. The advertisements were paid for by Legal Missouri 2022, a group that supports a "yes" vote on the amendment.
The 30-second commercial was removed from YouTube because of a copyright claim from the Highway Patrol. The 15-second video -- uploaded Oct. 18 -- on the same account was taken down on Friday by the uploader, Legal Missouri 2022.
John Payne, of Legal Missouri 2022, argues they had the right to use the video in its commercial.
"We've licensed that video, that content. It's available to license so that is within our rights to do that," Payne said.
Legal Missouri 2022's YouTube channel is still up and still has another 15-second advertisement -- uploaded Oct. 18 -- that does not show the same images as the two that were removed.
Payne also claimed Amendment 3 will benefit law enforcement by freeing up time spent on smaller crimes like small possession, which Payne says happens thousands of times every year.
"Those all take hours to complete the process through not only the police but the prosecutors," Payne said. "The court system is a tremendous amount of resources and frankly, they have better things to be working on."
In response, the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys released a statement condemning the amendment, saying it would not deter the use of marijuana
"Amendment 3 attempts to require courts to allow defendants to continue to get high on marijuana, regardless of the circumstances of their addiction," the association wrote in the release.
The Highway Patrol is requesting all references including imagery using the patrol's likeness be removed from any past or future advertisements. However, Payne claims the video is referring to everyone working in law enforcement, not just Missouri troopers.
