POT GROUP OFFERS SUPPORT TO AIDS PATIENTS

Coachella Valley residents who have AIDS may get some relief when it
comes to paying for medical marijuana.

Lanny Swerdlow, registered nurse and founder of the Marijuana Anti-
Prohibition Project, is starting a new support group to collect
no-cost and low-cost marijuana for patients who qualify.

"The purpose of this group is to educate AIDS patients about why
cannabis is beneficial to them and try to provide them with a
realistic quantity of medicine for no cost or low cost," Swerdlow said
Thursday.

Trev Trevino, 52, an AIDS patient and one of the group's organizers,
said he knows firsthand the benefits of medical marijuana and the
financial difficulties some patients face in getting the drug.

"Most people are like myself, we live on less than $220 a week," said
Trevino, who's retired.

"We can barely afford to pay for rent, food and electricity, let alone
$200 for a half-ounce of marijuana," he added.

Chuck Jenkins, who works at the Hazy Colitas dispensary in Thousand
Palms, said that at his shop a half-ounce of marijuana sells for about
$150.

"We have a strain that is $25 for

Swerdlow, who lives in Whitewater, is an advocate for legalizing
marijuana and providing patients with what he calls a safe, affordable
and consistent option to getting medical marijuana. He recently helped
form a similar group in Riverside.

The new group, called the Palm Springs AIDS Medical Marijuana Group,
plans to have its first meeting at 3 p.m. Saturday at Crystal Fantasy,
266 N. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.

Participants will have to pass a financial "means" test in order to
qualify for the program, Swerdlow said.

With more than 40 dispensaries operating in the valley and high
desert, the group is looking to the dispensaries to commit to
providing regular monthly donations of marijuana to the program,
Swerdlow said.

The dispensary debate has been a hot-button issue in valley cities for
the past five years.

Palm Desert has been embroiled in a lawsuit against Stacy Hochanadel,
who is accused of illegally running a dispensary in the city. He now
operates a permitted operation in Palm Springs.

The city of Rancho Mirage allows deliveries of marijuana within city
limits, but has not approved opening storefront dispensaries.

Palm Springs is the only city in the valley to issue permits for
dispensaries to operate. The city has three dispensaries that operate
legally within city limits.

Dispensaries have popped up by the dozens in unincorporated areas of
Riverside County due to "vaguely written laws" at the state level,
according to an October 2010 letter from county counsel Pamela J.
Walls to The Desert Sun.

Opponents of medical marijuana dispensaries say they're concerned the
operations will attract more crime while proponents say that more than
12,000 patients rely on dispensaries and delivery services for their
medication.

If you go

What: Palm Springs AIDS Medical Marijuana Patient Group meeting. It's
open to anyone with HIV/AIDS and other interested community members.

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Crystal Fantasy, 266 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

Information: (760) 318-1077