Dying to Get High: Marijuana as Medicine

7. Love Grows Here

157 7 Love Grows Here Secret Garden A few miles north of the city of Santa Cruz, California, a winding farm road turns off scenic Highway 1 toward the rounded hilltops and wooded canyons of the coastal mountain range. Michael Corral bounces gently around the corners in a pickup truck loaded with gardening supplies, eventually turning on to a rough dirt road that winds through redwood trees high up onto a hill with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. Near the top, he unlocks a metal gate, drives the truck through, then locks the gate securely once again. A short distance beyond the gate, Corral parks beside an ancient Airstream trailer propped up on the hillside with railroad ties, kills the motor, and climbs out of the truck. He surveys the scene around him with evident satisfaction. Above, beside, and below the truck are patches of ground that have been cleared of the weeds, briars, hemlock, and poison oak that otherwise cover the hillside. There is a scent of marijuana smoke in the air. Several cheerful, middle-aged men and women, including one confined to a wheelchair, sit under an awning forming circular baskets about sixteen inches deep out of chicken wire. A couple of men in faded jeans and work boots are digging holes in the rich, dark soil under the late morning sun, at spots specifically marked out ahead of time by Mike. Another volunteer inserts one of the chicken wire baskets into each hole as a defense against burrowing gophers. As they work, a chubby woman with a beaming smile crumbles a dried marijuana bud onto a tray and happily rolls a joint. A small, hand-painted wooden sign hanging over the entrance to the garden declares that “Love Grows Here.” The garden is remote, and although many in the surrounding community know of its existence, few have seen it or would be able to find it on their own. It is well outside the nearest town, and there is no sign or clue visible from the public road that indicates which turnout or dirt road is the right one. The bumpy little lane that leads to the garden is very steep 158 Love Grows Here and narrow, winding through dark stands of redwood, pine, and fir trees. As it rises toward the ridgetop, the drop to the creek bed beside it becomes greater, until at last the creek veers away and the road arrives at a small, flat meadow and the first of the locked metal gates that protect access to the garden. Beyond the gate, the road becomes even steeper, rising rapidly into the woods. Rounding hairpin turns at one or two miles per hour, one is able to look back over the treetops and down the canyon toward the sea. Nearing the top, the road levels off and reaches another meadow, also secured by a locked gate, beyond which lies the garden. There is only one way in or out, and it would be difficult to find without explicit directions. In addition, both a combination for one lock and a key for the other are needed to pass the gates and reach the garden with motor vehicles. Consequently, once within its boundaries, the garden evokes a profound sense of privacy and security, complicated only by a mild apprehension: the garden exists in violation of federal law, and there is a sense that to be here is to flirt with potential disaster. Such considerations are short-lived, however, and are not allowed to interfere with the spirit or purpose of the garden crew. In the surrounding silence, it is not difficult to hear approaching vehicles as they crawl up the roadway from below, so there is little risk of surprise. More important, Val and Mike are conscientious about trying to dispel fear of law enforcement and the anger that often accompanies that fear, in the belief that the psychic energy of the garden crew directly affects the growth of the plants and the therapeutic value of the garden as a healing space. They remind everyone to keep the garden hate-free, and Val often professes compassion for those who would destroy WAMM’s work, rather than condemning them for their opposition. Therapeutic Horticulture The rustic beauty of the WAMM garden is emotionally uplifting; to arrive there on a sunny day is, for many, a healing experience in itself. The gated meadow lies just below a curving ridgetop, and is somewhat sheltered by it on...