OTTAWA – The RCMP commissioner says he’s very embarrassed for a New Brunswick Mountie who breached policy by smoking medicinal marijuana in uniform.
Bob Paulson says it was awkward and disappointing to see Cpl. Ron Francis make headlines after the national police force discouraged him from going public.
READ MORE: Pot-smoking Mountie returns red serge to RCMP
Francis returned his red serge and accused the government and the force of not doing enough to support RCMP members with post-traumatic stress disorder.
VIDEO: An emotional Cpl. Ron Francis returns his red serge at the RCMP headquarters in Fredericton (Credit: The Canadian Press)
The RCMP says officers who are prescribed marijuana for medicinal purposes should not be in red serge or regular uniform while taking their medication as it would portray the wrong message.
READ MORE: Advocate says RCMP should allow Mountie to smoke medicinal pot in uniform
New Brunswick Tory MP Rodney Weston says some of his constituents were confused by the RCMP’s response.
Paulson says the episode was embarrassing not just for the force but for Canadians.
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