Medical marijuana case dropped

A charge of violating a state law on possession of medical marijuana

was dropped Thursday against an advocate who helped get the law

passed.

The Burbank City Attorney’s office dismissed a citation against

Valerie Corral for allegedly not having proper identification that

allowed her to carry marijuana under the state’s Compassionate Use

Act. Corral, of Santa Cruz, was cited July 27 when she was found with

5 grams of marijuana at Bob Hope Airport.

A conviction on the citation carried a penalty of a $100 fine, the

state’s lowest misdemeanor, Alvarez said.

Corral uses medical marijuana for seizures caused by a head injury

she suffered from a 1972 car accident.

Corral helped draft the Compassionate Use Act, passed in 1998;

founded a hospice care center for Santa Cruz patients who use medical

marijuana to alleviate symptoms associated with various terminal

diseases and conditions; and continues to lobby in Sacramento.