JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the law license of Columbia attorney Dan Viets, a prominent advocate for legalizing marijuana.
Viets represented a brother and sister accused in a marijuana case in 2012. He was accused of a conflict of interest because the siblings eventually faced different levels of accusation.
The Missouri Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel sought the suspension. Viets' attorney had asked the court to issue only a reprimand.
Viets can apply for reinstatement in six months. He also was fined $1,000.
Viets has served for many years as state coordinator for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. He helped lead the successful 2018 effort to pass a constitutional amendment allowing medical marijuana in Missouri.
Viets said attorneys are allowed to represent co-defendants but the issue was over the adequacy of the waiver form used.
