In 1973, twenty-year-old Valerie Leveroni Corral was riding in a Volkswagen bug through the Nevada desert when a small airplane swooped down low enough that its torque caused the vehicle to careen end-over-end. Valerie was flung against the roof and doors, causing brain damage, epilepsy and debilitating migraines. She was then prescribed a staggering range of pharmaceuticals to deal with the aftermath, but they proved largely ineffective in stopping her convulsions and grand mal seizures. And the side-effects left her a zombie. Then her husband Mike read about a government-funded research paper that showed unique compounds found in cannabis can reverse the growth of cancerous tumors and help control laboratory-induced seizures.  What happened next is a story of resistance and resilience that involved an iconic weed garden, an armed police raid, a barricade of cannabis patients in wheelchairs and walkers, and a standoff on the steps of City Hall pitting the Wo/men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) against the DEA.
Also in this episode, Abdullah fondly remembers hosting episodes of the VICE culinary cannabis show Bong Appetit featuring the legendary Nonna Marijuana—a.k.a. Valerie’s mother!
Learn more about WAMM with the book Dying to Get High and the documentary film La Vie En Vert.
Catch the incredible Nonna Marijuana holiday special of Bong Appetit with Abdullah as host.
Learn more about Prop 215 co-author Dennis Peron in our Great Moments in Weed History episode from Season 1.
WAMM wishes to offer special thanks to a grower known as "Dr. John" (not the late musician) for helping to supply them with cannabis after their earliest arrests and garden confiscations.
WAMM also wishes to stress the key role played by the LGBTQ+ community and AIDS/HIV activists in helping to organize and operate the collective.
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