cannabisnews.com: Wakeup Call Wakeup Call Posted by CN Staff on May 02, 2003 at 09:05:02 PT Metroactive News & Issues Source: Metro Santa Cruz While the Capitola 13 were busy serenading the DA on the second floor of the county building, reps from the city and county of Santa Cruz were assembled outside in the sunshine, along with seven members of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, to announce that they are suing Attorney General John Ashcroft, acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration John Brown, drug czar John Walters and 30 DEA agents who raided the WAMM gardens last September. The suit asks the federal court to stop the feds from raiding the WAMM gardens in the future, an act that founder Valerie Corral says was in violation of California's Prop. 215, which she helped author. "We trust the American courts will protect us from further injustice. We are community members, parents, grandparents, teachers, secretaries. The only difference is that most of us are terminally ill, and commonly share our suffering. It's difficult to understand why the federal government would want to add to our troubles," said Corral, who is named as a plaintiff in the suit along with fellow WAMMsters Eladio Acosta, Dan Baehr, Dorothy Gibbs, Jennifer Hentz, Harold Margolin and Michael Cheslosky. Corral's husband Michael said he felt "a lot of happiness and a little fear, because we're taking on John Ashcroft, the meanest man in America," while WAMM co-plaintiff Michael Cheslosky said, "It's been a few nights of not a lot of sleep, worrying if jackboots are gonna be kicking down my doors and stealing the five grams I've got in my house. But the real thing I'm worried about is my mother's phone call asking me what on Earth I'm up to now." Cheslosky was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1983. "Without medical marijuana, my only relief from the effects of the virus, chemotherapy and other AIDS-related diseases, would come from "horrible, debilitating tranquilizers and drugs," he said. County Supe Mardi Wormhoudt, who wants to introduce an ID card system to protect medical marijuana patients from harassment, pointed out that "unless we allow people who are willing and able to help themselves, many will need help from the county at a time when we can barely serve those already in need." Santa Cruz Mayor Emily Reilly pleaded with Ashcroft "to use this group for research." Meanwhile, Santa Clara University law professor Gerald Uelman argued that controlling the circumstances of death lies at the heart of this matter. "Becoming a plaintiff would not be a priority for me at the time of death, and many of these patients will frankly not live to see a successful outcome, but they are interested in leaving a legacy, in not having the DEA as an uninvited guest at their bedside." Source: Metro Santa Cruz (CA)Published: April 30 - May 7, 2003Copyright: 2003 Metro Publishing Inc.Contact: msc metcruz.comWebsite: http://www.metroactive.com/cruz/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Pictures from WAMM Protesthttp://freedomtoexhale.com/eventpics.htmMarijuana On The Minds of County's Leadershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16144.shtmlFighting Back in Santa Cruzhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16092.shtmlGrown in Santa Cruz - San Francisco Chronicle http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16082.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 02, 2003 at 09:47:15 PT WAMM I admire WAMM's work. If the world was full of people like the Corrals what a fine world this would be. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment