OFFICIALS SNIFF AT BID TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Two top law enforcement officials in the Pikes Peak region think
proponents of a statewide initiative to decriminalize possession of
small amounts of marijuana will not find much support here.

The group Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER, held
a news conference Wednesday at the state Capitol to announce plans to
seek voter approval to legalize possession of an ounce or less of
marijuana for those 21 years or older.

The group said it will try to gather the signatures of 100,000
registered Colorado voters; it needs about 68,000 valid signatures to
put the initiative on the November 2006 ballot.

Fourth Judicial District Attorney John Newsome said he thinks the
group won't find a receptive audience in El Paso or Teller counties.

"I have yet to hear any discussion or clamoring for legalization of
drugs," said Newsome, who said he has spoken to 60 groups since
taking office in January.

Newsome said he has not seen the proposed initiative and he would
have to study it before commenting directly on it. But he said he is
generally opposed to any effort to legalize drugs.

"I can tell you in my line of work we see people destroyed by drugs," he said.

The advocacy group said that even if the measure passed, all
home-rule cities in Colorado, including Colorado Springs, would have
the ability to penalize marijuana users. The measure also would not
change current law that makes selling marijuana, smoking it publicly
or driving under its influence illegal.

The effort is patterned after a successful campaign by the group to
decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana in Denver.
Almost 54 percent of Denver voters approved the initiative last
month, although Denver police have continued to cite drug users under
state law that makes possession of such amounts a petty offense
subject to a $100 fine.

Rick Millwright, commander of the El Paso/Teller Metro Vice,
Narcotics and Intelligence Unit, said he thinks SAFER will run into
demographic and philosophical differences it didn't have in its bid
to legalize pot in Denver.

"Colorado Springs is different than Denver," Millwright said.
"Passing something like this in Denver is one thing, but I think it
will be an uphill fight here in this very conservative community."

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers and House Speaker Andrew
Romanoff, D-Denver, said they will oppose the measure if it gets on
the November 2006 ballot.

"You would basically give people in Colorado a free pass," Suthers
said. "My personal opinion is that it's not good public policy."

Romanoff said Colorado already has one of the highest drug-use rates
in the nation but ranks near the bottom for drug treatment.

He said that if the initiative passes, it could be tied up in courts for years.

Although Newsome doesn't believe there would be much support locally
for legalizing marijuana, he said he has seen some change in thinking
among residents about how to handle drug use.

He said he thinks there is some support for allowing marijuana use
for serious medical conditions, and he thinks many people would
rather see drug users get help rather than being sent to jail.

He said his office is creating a drug court in Teller County,
patterned after one in El Paso County, that would offer treatment
rather than incarceration for some drug users.

In 2000, a majority of El Paso County and Colorado voters approved an
initiative allowing the use and cultivation of of marijuana for
people whose doctors prescribed it.

Newsome said such state laws can conflict with federal drug laws, and
there are ongoing legal cases, particularly in California, about
which laws should take precedence. He said he could envision a
similar problem if the proposed initiative passes.

Mason Tvert, the executive director of SAFER, said federal laws focus
on distribution, not possession, and probably would not be used to
prosecute personal marijuana consumption.

Tvert also said he does not believe Colorado lawmakers would try to
change the law back if voters agree to relax it.

Karen Flowers, spokeswoman for the Denver office of the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, said the Supreme Court has upheld the
supremacy of federal drug laws over state and local laws, and she
thinks any change decriminalizing state law would fail. She also said
federal drug laws make simple possession of marijuana a civil offense.

She said the DEA believes the Denver group's latest initiative is
part of a concerted effort by well-funded lobbying groups in
Washington, D.C., to decriminalize all drugs.

"This is not a grass-roots Colorado effort," she said. "They're
trying to make us guinea pigs."