[420 Girl]

RIVERSIDE - Dozens of medical marijuana patients are demanding county leaders TO allow marijuana co-ops.

They protested before Tuesday's Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting. And now, the group feels like they're making progress.

"What you can ask for today is clarification and you can demand regulation for safe access," shouts Ryan Michaels to his fellow patients.

State law makes medical marijuana cooperatives legal. But local governments have zoned them out of existence with police raids not too far behind. Cooperatives typically are a group of patients possessing county issued ID cards who form an exclusive club. Only those in the co-op can grow and buy cannabis. These organizations are considered non-profit, but pay state and local taxes.

"We know that Cannabis is healthy. We know it is beneficial and we know it impacts our lives, We are tired of being treated like criminals," says Lanny Swerdlow of Palm Springs to the assembled crowd.

That's left anger and frustration with chronically-ill patients saying they have no safe access to their medication.

One patient told the supervisors, "When I try cannabis, it makes me feel good. I took all of those drugs the county gave me like Prozac. I wanted to kill myself. Not anymore. I feel good now."

Marijuana patient Adam Hurn adds, "I have diverticulitis. Recently because of court cases, I've had to stop in the last 90 days from using cannabis. After 3 weeks I was hospitalized. They have me morphine, vicodin, several different antibiotics."

These patients have protested for years. What makes this time different is for the first time, they can sense victory. County officials now agree to meet them face to face, a first step in drafting an ordinance allowing marijuana co-ops.

The county planning department is expected to provide clear guidelines in the next few months.

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