DRUG POSSESSION CHARGES AGAINST ALEX CITY GUBERNATORIAL
CANDIDATE DROPPED

After years of court battles, U.S. Marijuana Party founder Loretta
Nall of Alexander City was cleared Friday of drug possession charges
in a Tallapoosa County circuit court.

"I'm almost speechless," Nall said. "It's been a long time coming."

The Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force arrested Nall in a November
2002 raid on her house where 0.87 grams of marijuana was discovered.
She was convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession and possession
of drug paraphernalia in district court in February 2004. Nall
appealed the conviction to circuit court, seeking to suppress the
evidence used to obtain the search warrant for the raid on her house.

Investigators obtained a search warrant by using a letter to the
editor that Nall wrote to the Birmingham News in support of changing
marijuana laws and by using statements made by Nall's daughter in her
kindergarten class.

"They illegally questioned my daughter and violated my right to free
speech," Nall said. "The judge ruled it a bad search and the judge
dropped the charges."

Tallapoosa County Circuit Judge Ray Martin made the decision to
suppress the warrant on Tuesday, but the decision was not finalized
until Friday. Nall said Friday was also the unofficially recognized
National Pot Smokers Day.

"That's pretty ironic," she said.

District Attorney E. Paul Jones, who was working on another case
outside the county at the time of the decision, said there was little
chance the state would pursue the case any further.

"In drug cases, not much can be done if the drugs are suppressed,"
Jones said.

Nall said she felt vindicated by the judge's ruling but that she was
not finished with the case.

"Lawsuits are exactly what my plans are right now," she said. "I want
some retribution. "They need to get out their checkbooks."

Now that the charges have been dropped, Nall also plans to continue
running for political office. In 2010, Nall said she would definitely
run for Rep. Betty Carol Graham's seat in the Alabama House of
Representatives.

Nall also has aspirations of running against Rep. Mike Rogers in
2008.