Ellen Snelling, chairman of the Anti-Drug Alliance, lives in Temple Terrace and often participates in the parade. She said the float and the NORML organizers who accompanied it and handed out fliers were out of place at a family-friendly event.
“When you promote drug legalization on a float in a parade, it can give a really bad message to children,” Snelling said. “I believe in free speech, but I think there is a time and a place to conduct speech referring to legalization of drugs, and a children’s parade is not that place.”
Snelling also questioned if the members of the Central Florida NORML chapter used deception to get the float in the parade. She said when she first saw the float it was an unadorned boat, but when she came back 20 minutes later, the wagon was festooned with NORML banners. Atop the green and white float was a fake 10-foot marijuana cigarette, painted red on the tip as if burning.
Click here to Print the Page
