Valerie Corral
Encyclopedia
Valerie Corral is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana
and Raha Kudo, Design for Dying Project.
, a small airplane swooped down and scraped Corral's car, sending her "skidding, rolling and bouncing 365 feet through the dust, brush and rocks." As a result of the accident, Corral's injuries included brain damage
, epilepsy
and severe migraine
s. Despite taking prescription drug
s, Corral continued experiencing convulsion
s, shaking and grand mal seizures
. Having read in a medical journal that marijuana controlled seizures in mice, Corral's husband recommended that she give the drug a try—she has maintained a steady level of marijuana in her system since then, finding that it helped alleviate her symptoms.
In 1992, Valerie and Mike Corral were arrested by the local sheriff for the cultivation of five marijuana plants, which spurred her into the political arena. As a result, Valerie became the first patient in California
to challenge existing law and use a defense of necessity for medical marijuana
. Prosecutors dismissed the case, claiming they were unlikely to win before a sympathetic jury in liberal
Santa Cruz
. After the sheriff arrested the Corrals again one year later, the district attorney
stated he had no intention of ever prosecuting them, requesting that the police leave the couple alone. The Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) was started at this time (1993).
Valerie was a key-player in the crafting and passage of Proposition 215 (also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996), which allowed patients with a doctors recommendation to use marijuana medicinally. WAMM became the first medical marijuana collective to be granted non-profit status in the United States. WAMM is also considered to be the most legitimate medical marijuana collective and cooperative in the nation.
While Mike and Valerie were supported by local authorities to protect them against theft and distribution, federal authorities maintained that growing, using and distributing marijuana was illegal. To provide legal protection, Santa Cruz deputized the Corrals in 2000 to act as medical marijuana providers.
various terminal diseases and conditions. She has provided personal care and comfort to hundreds of individuals during
their passage to death including Laura Huxley
with whom she was a close personal friend. Close to 200 WAMM members have died since the conception of the group. Valerie Corral has been by the bedside of most.
(DEA) raided the WAMM garden just weeks prior to their annual harvest, arresting the Corrals and destroying all the collective's medicine (150 plants). Valerie and Mike were detained and later released. The government never filed charges, though the Corrals decided to challenge the federal ban with assistance from Santa Clara University
law professor Gerald Uelmen and advocates at the Drug Policy Alliance.
Several weeks later, WAMM handed out medical marijuana on the steps of city hall in Santa Cruz, California
. WAMM members, whose illnesses include multiple sclerosis
, cancer
, and AIDS
, came out in support of their organization. Many protests and media articles followed the raid, and the DEA received negative and unfavorable worldwide media attention as a result of the raid against the terminally ill
.
Valerie played a key-role in drafting SB 420, which expanded many definitions and provisions for patients in California.
Judge Jeremy Fogel recently allowed discovery for the plaintiffs, which allows WAMM's lawyers to ask the federal government very specific questions in regard to their enforcement of California's medical marijuana laws. An American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) press release stated the following:
Valerie has also been involved with Conant v. Walters, County of San Diego v. San Diego NORML, and Craker v. DEA.
In the most recent rejection of medical marijuana by the Federal Government, the DEA denied Professor Craker, Valerie Corral, and MAPS
request to end the federal governments monopoly on medical marijuana production and research.
From an ACLU Press Release:
Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana
Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana is a non-profit medicinal cannabis dispensing collective located in Santa Cruz, California. WAMM was founded in 1993 by Valerie Leveroni Corral and her then husband Michael Corral. Members receive medicinal cannabis in exchange for volunteer work. There...
and Raha Kudo, Design for Dying Project.
Origin of Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana
In 1973, while driving though NevadaNevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, a small airplane swooped down and scraped Corral's car, sending her "skidding, rolling and bouncing 365 feet through the dust, brush and rocks." As a result of the accident, Corral's injuries included brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
, epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and severe migraine
Migraine
Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea...
s. Despite taking prescription drug
Prescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
s, Corral continued experiencing convulsion
Convulsion
A convulsion is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body. Because a convulsion is often a symptom of an epileptic seizure, the term convulsion is sometimes used as a synonym for seizure...
s, shaking and grand mal seizures
Tonic-clonic seizure
Tonic–clonic seizures are a type of generalized seizure that affects the entire brain...
. Having read in a medical journal that marijuana controlled seizures in mice, Corral's husband recommended that she give the drug a try—she has maintained a steady level of marijuana in her system since then, finding that it helped alleviate her symptoms.
In 1992, Valerie and Mike Corral were arrested by the local sheriff for the cultivation of five marijuana plants, which spurred her into the political arena. As a result, Valerie became the first patient in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to challenge existing law and use a defense of necessity for medical marijuana
Medical cannabis
Medical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
. Prosecutors dismissed the case, claiming they were unlikely to win before a sympathetic jury in liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
. After the sheriff arrested the Corrals again one year later, the district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
stated he had no intention of ever prosecuting them, requesting that the police leave the couple alone. The Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) was started at this time (1993).
Valerie was a key-player in the crafting and passage of Proposition 215 (also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996), which allowed patients with a doctors recommendation to use marijuana medicinally. WAMM became the first medical marijuana collective to be granted non-profit status in the United States. WAMM is also considered to be the most legitimate medical marijuana collective and cooperative in the nation.
While Mike and Valerie were supported by local authorities to protect them against theft and distribution, federal authorities maintained that growing, using and distributing marijuana was illegal. To provide legal protection, Santa Cruz deputized the Corrals in 2000 to act as medical marijuana providers.
Hospice care
Corral founded a hospice care center for patients who use medical marijuana to alleviate symptoms associated withvarious terminal diseases and conditions. She has provided personal care and comfort to hundreds of individuals during
their passage to death including Laura Huxley
Laura Huxley
Laura Huxley was a musician, author, psychological counselor and lecturer.-Life and work:...
with whom she was a close personal friend. Close to 200 WAMM members have died since the conception of the group. Valerie Corral has been by the bedside of most.
2002 DEA raid
On September 5, 2002, armed federal agents from the Drug Enforcement AdministrationDrug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
(DEA) raided the WAMM garden just weeks prior to their annual harvest, arresting the Corrals and destroying all the collective's medicine (150 plants). Valerie and Mike were detained and later released. The government never filed charges, though the Corrals decided to challenge the federal ban with assistance from Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
law professor Gerald Uelmen and advocates at the Drug Policy Alliance.
Several weeks later, WAMM handed out medical marijuana on the steps of city hall in Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
. WAMM members, whose illnesses include multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, came out in support of their organization. Many protests and media articles followed the raid, and the DEA received negative and unfavorable worldwide media attention as a result of the raid against the terminally ill
Terminal illness
Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as...
.
Post raid
Despite the raid in 2002, Valerie and Mike Corral continue to operate WAMM out of Santa Cruz.Valerie played a key-role in drafting SB 420, which expanded many definitions and provisions for patients in California.
Lawsuits and court cases
Valerie Corral has been at the forefront of several lawsuits against the government. The most recent court case is County of Santa Cruz v. Mukasey, in which the City and County of Santa Cruz signed on with WAMM to sue the federal government.Judge Jeremy Fogel recently allowed discovery for the plaintiffs, which allows WAMM's lawyers to ask the federal government very specific questions in regard to their enforcement of California's medical marijuana laws. An American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
(ACLU) press release stated the following:
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a federal court today held that the U.S. Constitution bars deliberate subversion by the federal government of state medical marijuana laws.
Valerie has also been involved with Conant v. Walters, County of San Diego v. San Diego NORML, and Craker v. DEA.
In the most recent rejection of medical marijuana by the Federal Government, the DEA denied Professor Craker, Valerie Corral, and MAPS
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies is a membership-based 501 non-profit research and educational organization working to develop psychedelics and marijuana into legal prescription drugs...
request to end the federal governments monopoly on medical marijuana production and research.
From an ACLU Press Release:
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Bush administration struck a parting shot to legitimate science today as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) refused to end the unique government monopoly over the supply of marijuana available for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved research. DEA’s final ruling rejected the formal recommendation of DEA Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Mary Ellen Bittner, issued nearly two years ago following extensive legal hearings.
External links
- Legal history of cannabis in the United States
- Medical cannabisMedical cannabisMedical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
- Removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act