Pubdate: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO) Copyright: 2010 The Pueblo Chieftain Contact: http://www.chieftain.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613 Author: Nick Bonham POLICE CHIEFS TALK CRIME Med pot laws took the forefront at the conference. Medical marijuana, drug trafficking, access/sharing databases of criminal information were a few topics discussed at the annual Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police convention held in Pueblo this week. More than 80 municipal law enforcement leaders in Colorado are in town for the five-day conference that concludes today at the Pueblo Convention Center. Medical marijuana was a contentious issue in the past legislative session. While CACP meetings cover numerous topics and issues, special attention was paid to medical marijuana this year. "This (conference) is a little bit more involved because of medical marijuana. It's a complicated bill, so we want our members to be informed and have an understanding," Wheat Ridge Chief of Police Dan Brennan, a CACP board member, said Wednesday. Dispensaries and growers were reined in Monday when Gov. Bill Ritter signed a pair of bills to control the boom in the medical marijuana industry. The bill, which took effect immediately, sets statewide regulations. But it also granted local governments regulatory powers. Pueblo police Chief Jim Billings said the association was pleased about the regulations, especially at the local level. "We (the CACP) wanted the ability to have control locally," Billings said, adding the new law allows counties and cities the ability to ban dispensaries. "There's too much opportunity with the dispensary model for people who don't need medical marijuana for medical purposes, to use it to just get high." Billings said the training he and police leaders received at the convention on the new medical marijuana laws will be used to train officers. The conference also featured presentations from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI. Training classes were closed to the public and media, but Brennan and Billings said the DEA and FBI agents from Washington, D.C., explained programs and gave updates about national and international drug trafficking rings and terrorist organizations operating on American soil. There were also workshops on improving department leadership and ethics. The CACP has about 130 members. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D