Last updated on: 5/13/2008 | Author: ProCon.org

Valerie Corral Biography

Title:
Director of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana
Position:
Pro to the question "Should Marijuana Be a Medical Option?"
Reasoning:

“I began experimentation with marijuana following an auto accident in 1973. I suffered a closed head trauma that left me shaken by up to five grand mal seizures per day. I became addicted to pharmaceutical medication that did not relieve the seizures that plagued my life. About 25% of epileptics do not respond to medicines. I am one of many who do not. While the prescription drugs left me debilitated, I discovered that with marijuana I could completely control the onset of a seizure. For me this knowledge was freedom. By using it I am able to abandon pharmaceutical medication and its side effects.”

“A Patient’s Story, Medical Marijuana,” Newsletter of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Spring 1994
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
  Organizations/VIPs/Others
Individuals and organizations that do not fit into the other star categories.
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Director and Co-Founder (with husband Mike Corrall), Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), 1993-present
  • Medical marijuana patient, for epilepsy, 1974-present
  • Member, Board of Directors, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)
  • Former Member, Santa Cruz County Drug Commission
  • Member, California Statewide Task Force on Medical Marijuana, 1999
  • Co-Recipient, Santa Cruz Sentinel’s 2002 County Newsmaker of the Year, Dec. 29, 2002
  • Named Santa Cruz County Women’s Commission Woman of the Year, 1997
Education:
  • None found
Other:
  • Arrested by Burbank airport police for possession of 5 grams of marijuana; charges were dropped prior to a jury trial, 2005
  • Deputized by Santa Cruz City Council (voted 7-0) to grant “authority to cultivate, distribute and possess medical marijuana,” Sep. 10, 2002
  • Arrested by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for cultivation and distribution of marijuana; no charges filed, Sep. 5, 2002
  • Arrested for cultivation of marijuana by Santa Cruz Sheriff; no charges were filed, Sep. 21, 1993
  • Arrested for cultivation of marijuana by Santa Cruz Sheriff, pled not guilty due to medical necessity; case was dropped by the Prosecution, Aug. 12, 1992
Quoted in:
  1. What Are the Differences between Cannabis Indica and Cannabis Sativa, and How Do They Vary in Their Potential Medical Utility?