BACKERS OF POT DISPENSARIES TO SPEAK TO BOARD

With President Barack Obama voicing support for an end to federal raids on
medical marijuana dispensaries in California, Coachella Valley patients
and advocates are ready to push Riverside County officials for a similar
end to raids and prosecution.

And they are taking their case to the county Board of Supervisors meeting
at 9 a.m. today in Riverside, where several are expected to speak during
the part of the meeting reserved for public comments.

"We're going to ask them to get the Sheriff's Department and the District
Attorney's Office just to sit down with us to talk about how collectives
can operate without them coming in and (people) getting arrested," said
Lanny Swerdlow, president of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project, a
patient advocacy group.

Swerdlow said he has been trying for a few months to set up a meeting with
either the Sheriff's Department or the district attorney without success.

Responding to recent federal raids on four California dispensaries, White
House spokesman Nick Shapiro last week reiterated the president's belief
"that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws."

California is one of 13 states that have legalized medical use of
marijuana for patients with a doctor's letter of recommendation. Federal
law bans all use of the drug.

Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, said, "The
Riverside Sheriff's Department does not have a current updated policy on
medical marijuana investigation and enforcement."

The department is revamping its policy, Guitierrez said.

Michael Jeandron, spokesman for District Attorney Rod Pacheco, said the
DA's office continues to use the narrowly drawn guidelines for patients,
collectives and cooperatives set out in a 2006 white paper on medical
marijuana issued by former District Attorney Grover Trask.

The white paper said "true collectives or cooperatives" are permitted
under the law, but for-profit storefront dispensaries were illegal.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown issued guidelines on medical marijuana
last August, which similarly outlawed for-profit dispensaries but allowed
more leeway for dispensaries organized as nonprofit collectives or
cooperatives.

The most recent raid in Riverside County occurred in September, when the
Sheriff's Department arrested Martin J. Victor of Temecula, , a member of
a 10-person collective, who was growing marijuana for the group at his
home. Victor was released and has yet to be charged.

Supervisor Roy Wilson said patients should be able to meet with the DA or
Sheriff's Department, but pointed out that the board has no jurisdiction
over either office.

"The district attorney and sheriff are directly elected by the people,"
Wilson said. "The DA isn't meeting with them because he did put out a
white paper saying this is how we view the law and we haven't changed."