ACTIVIST CONVICTED ON DRUG CHARGE, PLANS APPEAL

A marijuana legalization activist who had argued that she was searched
illegally has been convicted of possession of less than a gram of the drug
and some paraphernalia.

Loretta Nall, who founded the U.S. Marijuana Party in 2002, was given a
30-day suspended sentence for the misdemeanors and was ordered to pay
several hundred dollars in fines. She immediately filed a notice to appeal.

Nall and her attorney argued that the Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task
Force illegally obtained the search warrant that resulted in her arrest.

Members of the drug squad raided her mobile home on Nov. 13, 2002, based on
statements her daughter made in a kindergarten class.

Officers also used as evidence for the warrant a letter to the editor
published in The Birmingham News. The letter signed by Nall calls for
marijuana users to come out of the closet and change laws against it.