A 21-year veteran of the RCMP was emotional but unapologetic as he turned in his red serge at RCMP headquarters in Fredericton on Friday.

RCMP Cpl. Ron Francis said he was ordered to turn over his uniform after going public with his use of medically-prescribed marijuana, after 21 years of service on the force.

He did not return a 20-year exemplary service medal, however, removing it before handing over his Mountie uniform, hat and boots.

"They can have their uniforms, but this is my medal. I earned this with my blood, my sweat, my tears. I have not one flaw on my service record,” said an emotional Francis as he choked back tears.

“My only flaw is I stuck up for the Canadian people that stuck up for this country because the government doesn’t do anything for them.”

Francis has witnessed some disturbing incidents during his 21 years on the force and says it has taken a mental toll.

Last year, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He was treated with anti-depressants at first, but three weeks ago he was given a prescription for medical marijuana.

Because of his PTSD diagnosis, Francis no longer carries a weapon and has been limited to administrative duties.

He says smoking pot is the only way he can relax and wants to be able to smoke it at work, but the force is resisting.

The RCMP says its officers who are prescribed medicinal marijuana should not be in red serge or regular uniform while taking their medication as it would not portray the right message to the public.

“That doesn’t sit well with me,” said Francis after turning in his uniform. “Members of the RCMP are not sacrificial to the government or to the organization. They are people and they deserve the right to be protected when they go to work and be taken care of by the Canadian public that they defended.”

Francis, who is a member of the Kingsclear First Nation, was accompanied by a Maliseet elder as he surrendered his red serge.

Imelda Perley says Francis asked her for help and for an eagle feather.

“That’s going to be his strength, to be able to know that there is purpose waiting for him, and once he gets over the physical part that’s giving him struggles today, he’ll be able to wear, proudly, the serge again, hopefully,” said Perley.

Medical marijuana advocates say the situation is being handled without compassion and with a lack of understanding.

“He’s being discriminated against because of his choice of medicine, and if it was anything else, say it was insulin and someone saw him take that, would anyone take offence at that? That’s not the way it works,” said Chris Backer of the Maritimers for Medical Marijuana Society.

Conservative MP Erin O'Toole, a former captain with the Royal Canadian Air Force, said he believes the RCMP were justified in ordering Francis to return his uniform.

"I think reasonable accommodation should be given, and I think the Mounties were providing that to him," O'Toole said in Ottawa.

"Having worn a uniform myself, I think they made the right decision. And I think he should accept that as well because if you're part of an institution like that, whether it's the Canadian Forces or the RCMP, you have to understand the importance of the values and respect that the uniforms -- in particular the red serge, one of Canada's probably most respected world images -- you have to preserve that."

RCMP wouldn’t comment on the matter Friday, only to confirm that Francis is absent from the office on leave.

Francis says he wants the force to do more to support RCMP officers who suffer from PTSD.

“Three guys from the military commit suicide and it doesn’t become anything,” he said, referring to three Canadian soldiers who committed suicide earlier this week. “The members have had to suffer in silence and they’ve suffered, people have died because of this organization.”

It isn’t clear how long Francis will be on leave.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell and The Canadian Press