Free Pot Plants Given Out By Mayoral Candidate Are Just Tomatoes

The free pot plants given out by a Cincinnati mayoral candidate turned out to be tomatoes.

In an effort to draw attention to the fact that medical marijuana is illegal in the Buckeye State, Jim Berns intended to give away pot plants to anyone who wanted one.

Unfortunately for those looking to get high on their own supply, the pot plants he passed around were actually tomato plants. This isn’t altogether surprising since marijuana is considered a controlled substance in Ohio.

Berns believes that denying people access to medical marijuana is extremely wrong. The Libertarian candidate said in a release that he intended to hand out the plants in hopes of drumming up support for its legalization.

In the release, the candidate is posing next to a planter full of what appears to be pot. Berns can be seen in the photo holding a sign that reads: “Free Marijuana Plants.” He’s joined in the photograph by two individuals who seem pretty excited about the idea.

“Our brave men and women go to foreign countries and risk their lives to protect our freedoms. But with the marijuana issue, we lost our freedoms. I’m trying to bring attention to an abusive law,” the candidate explained.

When the time came to cough up the goods, Berns gave his supporters tomato plants instead of marijuana. Around 50 plants in total were handed out during an event on Wednesday. When asked if he had backed out of the offer, the candidate explained that he had given out the plants shown in the press release.

However, Berns didn’t say if the pot plants shown in the photo were actually tomatoes.

The Cincinnati mayor candidate previously ran for a seat in the US House of Representatives back in 2010. He lost the race to Steve Chabot after receiving only 1.5 percent of the vote.

What do you think about Jim Berns handing out pot plants that were actually tomato plants? Do you think this was just a weak attempt to draw attention to his campaign?

[Image via Shutterstock.com]