Sacramento, CA — California supporters of the state´s medical marijuana program held simultaneous demonstrations in several cities today, accusing police of aiding federal agents in closing marijuana dispensaries.

In San Francisco, protesters said patients and their caregivers are being arrested, too. Twenty patients stood on the steps of the Hall of Justice at noon, some smoking pot.

Alex Bronco, with Americans for Safe Access, called San Francisco “a medical cannabis sanctuary.” She said people authorized by their doctors to smoke marijuana for pain or other symptoms should be safe from police arrest.

Bronco said recent police raids are “particularly outrageous” because the state attorney general has issued bulletins and a formal opinion upholding patients´ rights under the state´s Compassionate Use Act.

A recent Supreme Court decision said federal law outlawing marijuana takes precedence over state laws.