Origin of Wo/Men's Alliance For Medical Marijuana
In 1973, while driving though Nevada, 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 migraines. Despite taking prescription drugs, Corral continued experiencing convulsions, 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.
Read more about this topic: Valerie Corral
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