cannabisnews.com: Pot Charges Against Activist Dropped





Pot Charges Against Activist Dropped
Posted by CN Staff on September 23, 2005 at 06:55:07 PT
By Jason Kandel, Staff Writer 
Source: Los Angeles Daily News 
Burbank, CA -- The Burbank City Attorney's Office on Thursday dropped a misdemeanor drug possession charge against a Santa Cruz medical marijuana patient who was cited in July at the Bob Hope Airport, the ACLU said Thursday. The charge against Valerie Corral, who was detained when screeners allegedly spotted marijuana in her carry-on bag, was dismissed.
She was cited by police even though she had a Santa Cruz County-issued medical marijuana card, authorized under the state's Compassionate Use Act, said her attorney, Christina Alvarez, with the American Civil Liberties Union Drug Law Reform Project.Police wrote her a misdemeanor drug possession citation, which carried a $100 fine, and her marijuana was seized. The ACLU took up her case, and challenged the citation in court.The city attorney dropped the charge in a hearing in Burbank Superior Court on Thursday, but refused to clear her misdemeanor record, declaring her factually guilty, an issue the ACLU said it will challenge in court. As a result, if Corral were ever convicted of a federal crime, she could get an enhanced sentence, Alvarez said.A call to the City Attorney's Office for comment was not returned."The police had absolutely no reason to doubt that Ms. Corral was a legal patient once they saw her identification card," said Alvarez. "It should have ended there. Instead, they wasted Ms. Corral's time and the court's time by ignoring well-established California law."Corral uses marijuana to quell seizures that are caused by head trauma she suffered in a car crash years ago. She is the co-founder of the Santa Cruz-based Women's Alliance for Medical Marijuana. She is also a high-profile activist and plaintiff in a lawsuit against the federal government's law against pot use for medical purposes.Under a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the federal government can prosecute people for marijuana possession even if they have a doctor's recommendation and live in a state that approves of it.California's Compassionate Use Act, passed in 1998, allows patients with their doctor's OK to legally use pot for medical purposes, and California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has said that the federal mandate has no impact on state law."We intend to challenge this policy until we gain a factual finding of innocence from the city attorney," Alvarez said.For more information about Valerie Corral, visit: http://www.aclu.org/DrugPolicy/DrugPolicy.cfm?ID=19133&c=81Source: Los Angeles Daily News (CA)Author: Jason Kandel, Staff Writer Published: Friday, September 23, 2005Copyright: 2005 Los Angeles Daily NewsWebsite: http://www.dailynews.com/Contact: dan.laidman dailynews.com Related Articles & Web Sites:ACLUhttp://www.aclu.org/WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/City Attorney Drops Charges At The Last Minute http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21134.shtmlPot Activist May Sue Over Bust at Airporthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21045.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on September 26, 2005 at 08:45:26 PT
Afterburner 
I personally believe our topic hasn't been in the news much because of the hurricanes. People have died, lost their homes and destroyed cities. I think as we slowly move on from these unbelievable tragedies our topic will be back in the news. 
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Comment #6 posted by afterburner on September 26, 2005 at 08:24:46 PT
Sam
I've been noticing frequently lately (as have many other activists) how effectively the media blockade has been in keeping Joe and Jane Citizen from knowing about cannabis rallies, activists, police intimidation, court cases, medical science breakthroughs, the history of cannabis prohibition with its racist social engineering and corporate toadying. Many people still get their news from the uber-controlled press, radio, and television. We have to find new ways to call attention to the cannabis truth, to get it into the eye and ears of the human-on-the-street, in the workplace, in the market. A recent radio interview with a Canadian activist got the following response from one of the media panellists: maybe a cannabis activist "...shouldn't have had children". This same woman jokingly recalled having Guiness in her baby bottle! If all cannabis activists refrain from having children, this is one way to eliminate our creative, healing, spiritual, and progressive cannabis culture. In my mind this is cultural genocide as well as a kick in the solar plexus of future global well-being.We've got a lotta 'spainin' to do!
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Comment #5 posted by OverwhelmSam on September 26, 2005 at 03:34:51 PT
paulpeterson
It seems the crew at the airport who detained Valerie had no idea who she was. Some people must live in a vacuum.
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Comment #4 posted by paulpeterson on September 25, 2005 at 16:37:15 PT:
OverwhelmSam
Thanks for the post. See how fast your thought flow redirects into a positive stream once you start to change the filter? It almost seems too perfect. But of course, most of us move through our lives without ever being able to affect the world, really, in these ways, because you never, really, ever want to get busted.She didn't plan this, she was just prepared, and able to react and respond, in a fearless and therefore fearsome way.The only way a person can make similar, effective change, is to initiate legal action affirmatively, but that is just too much to expect, of anyone other than a trained lawyer (and of course, they took my law license away merely for my trying, which further justifies other lawyers not to try this at home!).At any rate, well done, thanks for picking up the good vibes here and seeing the way to put a spin on it.
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Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on September 25, 2005 at 05:58:41 PT
This Seems So Planned
I wouldn't doubt it if Valerie PLANNED this bust to fight the prosecutors and law enforcement. She is quite an activist. Kudos for Valerie!
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Comment #2 posted by paulpeterson on September 23, 2005 at 08:16:19 PT:
gonetopost
Please adjust your filter and get rid of the static that comes from your preconceived notion and position. Adjust your seatbelt and prepare to be jettisoned from your present vehicle of assumption of negativity.This is a wonderful event! Both for that prosecuting attorney and for that entire police force! Some cop on the ground, well-indoctrinated into the federally tightwad vicious control lividity himself knee-jerked hisself right into the only way and PLACE we can get virus code into the feds: In California, at other than major airports (where local cops still do the beating-triple pun?), in town firmly in rebel held territory!, TO VALERIE, of all people, who already has her support squad ready to pounce!This was a perfect conflict at a perfect time-right after the CHPS say they won't steal reafer anymore (MM), Colorado just returned a guy's stash and her first post Supreme Court return to the ring.Now, since we know what the policy was at John Wayne's stable (sorry, I know, wrong airport, but it fits, don't it?) we just got major news notification (if not obtuse, overt overruling, etc.) of a change in policy down at the OK corral, eh? This shootout just told them down at the corral what the boys downtown think about their shakedowns and since they DROPPED the charges, this is even MORE PIVOTAL because it means they are going to get SUED THE NEXT TIME THEY TRY THIS THING.Your comment, that they OTTA GET SUED is thus aptly put! This case IS the precedent that will cause that to happen the next time.This is an example of the new Daedalus logic (and yes, I checked for the authentic spelling). I kept using it wrong, and then I discovered another Daedalus logic engine: Just being willing to USE A WORD even if you don't know about the spelling is a means and example of overcoming cognitive dissonance-of being to "color out of the lines"-In fact, when I did a search on the spellings I found people misapplieing spelling all over the place.Then I started to realize just exactly how diverse the visual metaphor of his prison sentence: He is known as the spawner of the most wild imagineering and harnessing it for productive results. More to the point, and more aptly applied right here, back at the ranch: Daedalus WAS A STARTER, and aptly applied to his visual sentence of pushing the ROCK UP THE HILL FOR ETERNITY, DAEDALUS ONLY HAS TO DO IT ONCE, then the momentum of the fall will keep it in motion.This case IS the starter of the engine-can't you hear the pulse of the vibration, as each, and successive, barrier continues to crumble? 
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Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on September 23, 2005 at 07:29:16 PT
Ignorance of the law is no excuse
The city attorney has found out the hard way, much to his chagrin. He must be forced to see the light.'Head in the sand' tactics no longer apply.It's ok to smoke cannabis. Reefer time
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