Missouri Legalization Ads Pulled from YouTube After Police File Copyright Claim

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it did not give permission for an individual wearing the agency’s uniform to appear in pro-cannabis legalization ads produced by Legal Missouri 2022, the Kansas City Star reports. The ads are no longer available on YouTube due to a copyright claim by the agency. 

“The Patrol is aware of Legal Missouri 2022’s advertisement featuring the Patrol. The Patrol did not give its permission for its emblem, name, or images to be used nor was permission sought.” — Missouri State Highway Patrol in a Facebook post 

The ads included video of a uniformed person who appears to be a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper riding a motorcycle and getting in and out of a vehicle. The ads argued that cannabis legalization would aid law enforcement in the state and “SUPPORT THE POLICE” appears on the screen. The narrator, voiced by actor John Dorman who played Baltimore police deputy commissioner William Rawls in HBO’s “The Wire,” said the legalization amendment is “a vote to let the police focus on serious crimes.”   

In a statement to the Star, Legal Missouri campaign manager John Payne said the officer used in the ad was “stock footage” meant to show “exactly why Amendment 3 will allow law enforcement to focus on fighting violent and serious crime.” 

Both the 15-second and 30-second ad spots were removed.