POLICE TO RETURN CONFISCATED POT DURING SEARCH

DENVER - A man whose doctor recommended that he use marijuana for medical
reasons expected police on Monday to return a half-ounce of the drug that
an officer confiscated from him about three weeks ago, his lawyer said.

A police spokesman was not able to confirm the news late Sunday.

Timothy Haas uses the drug for an undisclosed medical condition that causes
him severe pain and back problems, said his lawyer, Robert Corry.

An officer found the marijuana during a security check when Haas was
visiting his brother at a Denver hospital a few weeks ago, Corry said. Haas
showed the officer a copy of his doctor's recommendation that he use
marijuana, but the officer confiscated the drug. Corry said he then began
negotiating with the city attorney's office to have the marijuana released.

Haas never was charged with any crime, Corry said.

Marijuana is considered illegal under federal law, but Colorado law allows
residents to grow and possess small amounts if they hold a certificate
allowing them to do so for pain relief. Colorado is among 10 states that
allow medical cannabis use.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people who smoke marijuana
because their doctors recommend it can still be prosecuted for violating
federal drug laws. Corry said Haas is believed to be the first Coloradan to
have medical marijuana returned since the ruling.

"It's a message to people that Colorado's medical marijuana program is
valid and viable," Corry said.