Valerie Corral
One of the most influential leaders of the movement to legalize medical marijuana, Valerie Corral first became involved with the issue in 1973 after discovering that marijuana provided effective relief from her epileptic seizures that had developed in the aftermath of a severe car accident.  She was first arrested with her husband Mike Corral in 1992 for growing five marijuana plants in their home, and proceeded to become the first individual in California to successfully challenge laws prohibiting marijuana by using a defense of medical necessity.  Valerie and Mike subsequently formed the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, or WAMM, an organization that distributes medical marijuana to patients who benefit from its therapeutic effects while also providing an emotional support network for these seriously ill individuals.  She helped draft the groundbreaking provision in Proposition 215 that permits patients to grow their own medicinal marijuana, and currently shares her scientific observations and personal experience with public officials as a board member on the County Drug Commission. Her work for individuals in desperate need of relief from the symptoms of illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, AIDS and cancer has catapulted her to the forefront of the national movement to legalize marijuana, and setbacks such as a federal raid on the WAMM marijuana farms in 2002 have only strengthened her resolve to better protect and sustain the community she created.