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Lothar121

Marijuana Advocate Running For Governor Of Alabama
Phillip Rawls | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer | 10/15/2005

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Loretta Nall, a 31-year-old mother of two, is running for governor of Alabama when she's not busy with her other duties: writing for Cannabis Culture magazine and serving as president of the U.S. Marijuana Party.

Nall says she doesn't want to be seen as the marijuana candidate for governor.

"I want to be seen as a common country girl doing something anybody could do if they chose to," she said.

Nall's days as a common country girl ended in 2002 when officers raided the trailer she shares with her husband and two children just outside Alexander City. Officers found rolling papers, a scale, and a small amount of marijuana - .87 grams - but it was enough to net Nall misdemeanor convictions for possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. She got a 30-day suspended sentence, but she is appealing her case.

The raid and the legal process turned Nall into an advocate for changing drug policy. She got hired by Marc Emery, the recently jailed publisher of Cannabis Culture, and she formed the U.S. Marijuana Party, which has active chapters in seven states.

Now she's seeking the Libertarian Party's nomination for governor because the party already has a structure in Alabama and because they agree on a major issue: They want marijuana legalized.

Nall said she still uses marijuana occasionally for pain relief from osteoporosis. She used to smoke for recreational reasons, but stopped after her arrest.

"Now there's no enjoyment in it if you think the cops are going to come," she said.

If Nall had her way, marijuana would be a regulated product like tobacco and alcohol.

Nall is already conducting a vigorous Internet campaign, but running for governor as a Libertarian is not easy. Third parties have to collect more than 40,000 signatures from Alabama voters to get listed on the ballot statewide.

Nall calls the number "a monstrous obstacle" designed by Democratic and Republican state officials to keep out competition, but she plans a walk across the state to help the party collect the needed number.

Mike Rster, state administrator of the Libertarian Party, is not optimistic about his party getting on the general election ballot for Nov. 7, 2006.

"It's virtually an impossible task. I don't see any of the third parties being able to do it," he said.

Nall said she isn't dismayed by the task. She figures collecting the signatures will allow her to meet thousands of voters and help her campaign.

"I've got this gut feeling that come November of next year, I stand a very good chance of being governor with the Republicans trying to out-Jesus each other and the Democrats trying to out-socialist each other," she said.

If Nall comes across Republican incumbent Bob Riley on the campaign trail, he won't be a stranger. She grew up in his hometown of Ashland. "I went to school with Gov. Riley's kids," she said.

Nall and Riley may share the same hometown, but their platforms are very different.

Nall says Alabama's prisons are jam-packed because the state's drug policy is shortsighted. She says many of the people in prison for property crimes were stealing and robbing to support addictions to hard drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

Prison doesn't address their drug problems, but good drug treatment programs would. And over time, Alabama could reduce the $305 million appropriation for prisons, she said.

She envisions programs similar to methadone treatment centers, where addicts could get drugs in a controlled setting and go through counseling to wean them off the drugs.

If Alabama did that, expensive drug task forces would no longer be needed, she said.

Nall also advocates school vouchers and privatizing most of the public education system.

And she says taxpayers ought to be able to choose which programs they want their tax dollars to fund. On their annual tax return, "they could say, 'Yes I want my money to go to education, and no, I don't want it to go to prisons,'" she said.

What would happen if taxpayers put more tax money into a program than was needed or didn't fund one the governor and Legislature thought was important?

"I don't have an answer for that," she said.

Nall is an atheist, but she said that if elected, she wouldn't try to impose her views on others.

"I'm not anti-religious. It's freedom of or freedom from. I've chosen freedom from, and you're free to choose of," she said.

The campaign for governor will take Nall away from her children - 13-year-old Alexander and 8-year-old Isabelle - but she said they are excited about their mother's quest for the Gov.'s Mansion.

"My daughter is like, 'Do we get to move into the mansion?' We live in a trailer, so the big mansion idea is exciting to my kids," she said.

On the Net:

U.S. Marijuana Party: http://www.usmjparty.com

campaign: http://www.nallforgovernor.com

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psthbng

Go 4 it girl!!

Taichimasta

How is this for an answer? The people should choose what is important to them and the people around them!!! Not some far-removed Legislature!

Niteshift

Just wondering if all the money being spent on a campaign for governor that Nall knows herself will not be successful couldn't be better spent on something that stands a chance, like a medical marijuana measure or maybe trying to bring another case before the Supreme Court challenging federal authority to override the state laws allowing mmj?

The hard truth is, Nall most likely won't even get 5% of the vote.

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Buzzby

It bothers me that the US Marijuana Party is fronted by a person with no apparent qualifications for office. She has no political experience and I've found nothing about her academic achievements or success in any kind of large-scale organization. Marc Emery, at least, has the experience of running a multimillion dollar business. For the USMJ party to be more than a joke it needs a front man (or woman) whose qualifications would garner some respect.

Willie Nelson comes to mind. He should run for Governor in Texas! If Reagan could run the country and Arnie can be the Governor of California, Willie could certainly be the Governor of Texas.

It's too bad Carl Sagan's dead. He could get billions and billions of votes!

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teufelfisch

I was thinking this, too. She doesn't seem to be very well qualified for governor.

I hope she has a lot of friends who will walk door-to-door across the state with her, because 40000 signatures are going to be very difficult to get.

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Lothar121

We got Willie's friend Kinky running. har har

Buzzby

I'd forgotten about Kinky Friedman (late of Kinky Friedman & The Texas Jewboys). He appeared on Bill Maher's show on HBO and actually made a lot of sense.

I like his campaign slogan: Why the hell not?

Dennis

I think Loretta will make a fine Governor who is better qualified than the career politicians who are in office now. Do you recall the distinguished back woods gentleman from Tennessee who made major changes in Congress? You know him as Daniel Boone.

Lest we forget, our political system was designed for everyday people to be our representatives from our districts and states, not career politicians. In fact, electing career politicians election after election is what has our political system so enthralled with corruption and misrepresentation. We should elect a new representative of the people with each new election, and send the sitting official back home with a thank you after they've served and represented their community.

I say Loretta at least has the intestinal fortitude to throw her hat into the ring and give it a go. If anyone else here thinks they can do better than her, step up to the plate.

Niteshift

I think Loretta will make a fine Governor who is better qualified than the career politicians who are in office now.

What exactly do you consider to be her qualifications? Do you even know her positions on anything other than drugs and school vouchers?

I say Loretta at least has the intestinal fortitude to throw her hat into the ring and give it a go.

Are you serious?

Nall knows damn well that she doesn't have a snowball's chance of getting elected. This is nothing but an attempt to garner publicity on her part. Some for herself, some for her party. But she has no chance of winning and she knows it. 10% of the vote would be a minor miracle. I'm betting she gets under 5%, possibly 3% or less...............if she even gets on the ballot.