RETIRED COP ENDORSES DENVER'S PRO-POT INITIATIVE

A retired Denver police lieutenant stood alongside marijuana activists
Wednesday to endorse a Nov. 6 initiative that would make adult
possession of less than an ounce of pot the "lowest law enforcement
priority" in the city.

Lt. Tony Ryan said he's not advocating drug use but that the city's
resources would be better spent fighting violence and property crime,
rather than busting people for possessing small amounts of marijuana.

"I was a street officer most of my career through the ranks and
homicides, rapes, assaults, domestic violence, alcohol was involved in
every one of them," he said.

"Seldom is marijuana involved, and if it was, it wasn't a cause as
alcohol was."

Det. John White, a police spokesman, said Ryan is a "retired police
officer (who) does not represent the position of the Denver Police
Department."

Ryan, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said he's not
saying police should violate their oath to uphold the law.

"They have to do their job," he said. "But they don't have to go out
of their way to do it."

Voters have been getting "robo-calls" from Ryan in support of Question
100. Ryan identifies himself as a "36-year veteran" but not that he's
retired. He acknowledged that some people might think he's
representing police.

"We talked about that, that some people might mistake that," he
said.

"I would apologize if somebody misconstrues that."