| Phoenix New Times |
| Joe Miller, former Mohave County probation officer, was fired for publicly supporting marijuana legalization. |
A probation officer says the state of Arizona and Mohave County fired him illegally to retaliate because he signed a letter in support of a California ballot measure to legalize marijuana. The ACLU of Arizona on Thursday filed a suit on his behalf.
Joe Miller, who lives in Needles, California, was one of 32 law enforcement officers and retired officers who signed the letter, “Law Enforcers Say Control and Tax Cannabis to Protect Public Safety,” in June 2010, reports Courthouse News.
The letter, from the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), endorsed California’s Proposition 19, a November 2010 ballot measure which would have allowed adults to grow and possess small amounts of marijuana. Prop 19 lost, 46.5 percent to 53.5 percent.