Pot Initiative Would Cause Problems For Police

Thousands of people in Denver sent a literal message to the city this week, saying they want a vote on whether cops and prosecutors should ignore some of the state's marijuana laws.

On Tuesday, police and city officials were left asking: Is ignoring a law even possible?

"This is an entirely new beast, and I don't know what it means," said assistant city attorney David Broadwell.

Almost 13,000 people recently signed a petition for a law to make marijuana Denver's "lowest law-enforcement priority."

On Monday, city election officials determined about 6,000 of those were valid - enough to bring the issue closer to the November ballot.

"There's not a single law on the books like this" in Colorado, Broadwell said.

Among the problems he and others raised is the fact that Denver police officers swear an oath to uphold state laws, some of which say marijuana possession is illegal.

"We as police officers, sworn police officers, are obligated to enforce the law," said police spokesman Detective John White.

That same theory came into play after Denver voters decided to make possessing small amounts of marijuana legal.

Yet police in the city continue to arrest offenders for breaking state drug laws.

But Mason Tvert, the leader of the group who organized the petition drive, said police and prosecutors decide every day to ignore certain minor offenses.

One example he gave: Drivers who are caught speeding sometimes get off with a warning.

"We're not here to tell police exactly how to do their job on the streets," said Tvert, executive director of Citizens for a Safer Denver. "We are here to tell them what the priorities of the people of Denver are."

Tvert pointed to a similar law passed several years ago in Seattle, which he called a success.

There, marijuana cases taken on by prosecutors dropped by almost half within two years after voters passed the law, according to a 2005 news report.

Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr, who originally opposed the measure, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "It hasn't been a problem. You can tell by the numbers."

In Denver, though, the same law may not be applied the same way because each state is different, Broadwell said. "It's hard to say what it means."

The Denver Post