PANEL RECOMMENDS NO ARRESTS FOR POT POSSESSION NEXT WEEK

A panel set up to review Denver's marijuana policies has recommended
that police refrain from arresting adults who fire up during the
Democratic National Convention.

Police will have to deal with numerous security issues next week when
thousands of people -- from protesters to delegates -- descend on
Denver, said Mason Tvert, leader of a group that sponsored a law
mandating that marijuana be a low-enforcement priority.

"It is absolutely absurd for the police to be spending any of their
time worrying about adults using a drug that is less harmful than
alcohol," he said today.

Tvert, who also sits on the Marijuana Policy Review Panel, said he
would deliver the recommendation to Mayor John Hickenlooper, Police
Chief Gerald Whitman and Denver City Council president Jeanne Robb.

The panel was formed to gather statistics on marijuana arrests and
has no legal authority, said David Broadwell, Denver assistant
district attorney. "Any citizen can make a recommendation," he said,
adding that police have no obligation to follow it.

Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said officers will continue to
enforce a state statute barring possession and use of marijuana
despite the voter-approved city ordinance making small amounts of
marijuana the "lowest law-enforcement priority."

"We can't relax the laws; we have to enforce the laws on the books.
If an officer witnesses a wrongdoing, he is responsible to take
action," Jackson said.

Police and the mayor's office weren't immediately available for comment today.

The panel recommended that police not arrest, detain or issue a
citation to anyone over 21 who possesses up to one ounce of pot for
private use during the convention.

In 2005, city voters approved a referendum that mirrors the panel's
recommendation, but arrests continued as police continued to enforce state law.

In 2007, voters approved making marijuana the city's lowest
law-enforcement priority.

But in the first six months of this year, Tvert said, 927 adults were
prosecuted for possession.

"The people of Denver have made it clear they do not want adults in
this city punished for simply possessing a drug less harmful than
alcohol," said Tvert. "Now a panel appointed by the mayor of Denver
has echoed that call, and we hope police will not defy the people of
this city or its mayor when the international spotlight hits the Mile
High City next week."