A New Brunswick Mountie who made headlines last year for complaining that he wasn’t allowed to smoke medicinal marijuana while in uniform has been found dead.
Cpl. Ron Francis died Monday, his lawyer confirmed to CTV News. The cause of his death is unclear.
Last November, Francis publicly insisted that he had the legal right to smoke pot in his RCMP uniform because he had been prescribed medicinal marijuana for his post-traumatic stress disorder.
But the RCMP said officers with a prescription to smoke pot for medicinal purposes should not be in red serge or regular uniform because it sends the wrong message.
The veteran Mountie, who was placed on medical leave and ordered to turn in his red serge, accused the RCMP of not doing enough for Mounties who struggle with PTSD and mental illness.
After the uniform dust-up, Francis was charged with assaulting four fellow RCMP officers in two separate incidents. He underwent a psychiatric assessment and was declared fit to stand trial. He pleaded guilty in September and was to be sentenced on Nov. 3.
After he entered the guilty pleas, Francis told reporters that he hoped his case would raise awareness of PTSD.
"Soldiers, police, people who do this kind of work, over time it's going to affect them," Francis said outside court in early September.
"I want to help other members."
