“….the opposition has now gained the support of a local division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, sparking controversy about whether federal employees are allowed to provide their backing to political campaigns.
Under federal election laws, government agencies and certain employees are prohibited from participating in partisan activities related to campaigns, though in this case, it’s not clear that one party is leading the effort since the organizations involved—the Utah Medical Association and Drug Safe Utah—are not associated with political parties.”
We (as non-lawyers) STRONGLY disagree. All of the articles we’ve looked at on the Act support this interpretation:
“The Hatch Act of 1939 forces government employees to refrain from participating in political activity. … The Hatch Act of 1939 prohibits any government employee from participating in political activities such as canvassing or intimidating, influencing or affecting the voters by any means.”
https://ift.tt/2wGqRuI
And, as the article continues:
“Still, it’s questionable whether the DEA is meant to take sides in electoral politics at all, especially when it appears that the anti-ballot campaign has been using some ethically dubious tactics. Documents obtained by Marijuana Moment have shown that door to door canvassers from the opposition have been instructed to use misleading information and cater their message based on the age of the individuals they are speaking to.”
Whatever happens by the deadline, if these tactics have succeeded we believe that Utah Patients Coalition, will mount a court challenge and from what we know, they will certainly have compelling grounds offer.
#MMJ #UTpol #DEA #UMA #ProtectPatients #TRUCE
See full article – The DEA Is Trying To Kill Utah’s Medical Marijuana Initiative Before It Reaches Voters
