Interview: Loretta Nall, President, Us Marijuana Party

Self-described "Alabama housewife" Loretta Nall has become one of the
brightest new stars in the drug reform firmament. Inspired by a visit
from drug-hunting police at her home a year-and-a-half ago, Nall has
embraced activism with a vengeance. Founder of the US Marijuana Party
(http://www.usmjparty.org) and host of Canada's Pot-TV
(http://www.pot-tv.net) Internet marijuana legalization program, Nall
addressed the Drug Policy Alliance conference in New Jersey in
November, then spent time in Goose Creek, South Carolina, home of the
notorious Stratford High School police raid, as she made her way home
to Alabama. Nall's most recent journey was to Austin, Texas, to
interview Democratic presidential nomination candidate Dennis
Kucinich. DRCNet spoke with Nall from her home on Wednesday.

Drug War Chronicle: What inspired you to become an activist?

Loretta Nall: Although I've smoked pot off and on since I was 12, I had
never grown or sold it or been arrested. Then, last September, I was
sitting at my computer and heard a helicopter overhead. I wasn't worried --
I wasn't growing or anything -- but it circled the house for about an hour,
so I grabbed my video camera and started taping. As soon as I got back
inside the house, four big black Dodge wagons pulled into the yard, and
about 15 or 20 heavily-armed undercover cops came piling out. I ran out and
said, "What the hell is going on?" One of the cops flashed a badge and said
the helicopter pilot thought he saw some pot. He asked if they could look
around, and I asked if they had a warrant. He said no, and I said, "Well,
you can look, but let me get my camera to film you doing this warrantless
search." I went inside to get the camera, and by the time I got back
outside they were all hauling ass in a cloud of dust.

There was no pot found, no charges, but that incident shook me. The
cops didn't know who I was; they could just target anybody. I'm a
libertarian, and I feel like I own my 2.15 acres from the ground up. I
had just found the Cannabis Culture web site (http://cannabisculture.com)
and was learning about Marc Emery's British Columbia Marijuana Party
(http://www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca), so I decided to start an Alabama
branch of the BCMP. A month later, I wrote a letter to the Birmingham
News calling on citizens to stand up and fight to change the marijuana
laws. Six days after that, there were 20 cops all over my property.
This time they had a warrant -- based on my letter to the editor and
an alleged statement from my daughter to her teacher that we had green
plants hanging in our house. The cops either found or brought with
them 87/100 of a gram. They locked me up for nine hours, and the case
has dragged on since then. I go back to court next month. My lawyers
tell me I will be convicted at the district level, but I will be able
to appeal to the circuit court and get a jury trial. Alabama doesn't
do jury trials at the district level. If I can get a jury trial, I'm
confident I will win.

So why did I get active? Well, they started it! I had wanted to be
active in the cause, but fear held me back, as I'm sure it does
millions of others. If they hadn't come and messed with me, I'd
probably still be back in the closet. Now I've decided to play their
game, but not necessarily by their rules. They don't like me very much
here now, but with people getting their doors kicked in, getting their
homes and kids taken away, I decided I had to see what I could do.

Chronicle: What is the US Marijuana Party? What does it want? What will it do?

Nall: We are a grassroots organization of regular people all across the
country. We're sick and tired of being persecuted and hunted and locked in
jail; a lot of us have tasted the jackboot up close and personal. We want
to see all criminal penalties for adult marijuana use removed, criminal
records expunged, the ability to buy, grow, and sell without prosecution,
and the government out of our bladders. We will run for office at every
level of state, local, and national government. We don't really expect to
win on a one-plank platform, but to put the issue in the public spotlight.
We aim to shave a few votes from Democrats and Republicans here and there
until some of them begin to realize that there are 90 million people in
this country who have smoked pot. The US Marijuana Party aims to wake up
those people who are running for elected office and let them know they will
pay a price in votes if they continue to oppress us.

Chronicle: How many state chapters do you have now, and what do you expect
from the state chapters?

Nall: We currently have chapters in 27 states, a little more than half.
We've got Ed Forchion, the New Jersey Weedman (http://www.njweedman.com) in
New Jersey. If we had a guy like Ed in every state, it'd be over in no
time. We'd be there... or we'd be dead. Running a state chapter is an
important role. Folks in the state chapters are expected to do a lot of
letter writing, to be in the public eye, to get contact info out, to
organize other people, organize events and protests, do media interviews,
fundraising, the whole ball of wax.

Chronicle: Why create a new organization instead of joining an existing one
like NORML or the Marijuana Policy Project?

Nall: Those groups do an exceptional job of lobbying, but none of them
actually runs candidates for office. We saw a niche there. By getting
candidates on the ballot, we can both force other candidates to address the
issue and get our message out to people who are not necessarily interested
in drug reform, but who do follow the elections. The US Marijuana Party can
serve as a large umbrella for anyone who wants to change the marijuana
laws, and drug reform in general. We would like to see the USMJ Party
become a massive voting machine. We have all of these excellent groups
working various issues -- is it medical marijuana or recreational? -- and
we want it legal so we don't have all these problems. If we can demonstrate
support at the ballot box for changing the marijuana laws, maybe we can get
somewhere.

Chronicle: You also host Pot-TV, which is funded by Canadian marijuana seed
entrepreneur Marc Emery, who founded the British Columbia Marijuana Party.
What's the connection?

Nall: Marc Emery and the BCMP were my political inspiration. As I said, I
had just found Cannabis Culture, which Marc publishes, when I had that
run-in with the police, so Marc was one of the first activists I came in
contact with. He funds a great deal of what I do through Pot-TV, but the
USMJ Party relies on contributions and donations from concerned Americans,
as well as paying for things out of our pockets. Still, the Pot-TV money
pays for my travels, and while I'm traveling I also do my USMJ Party
business. I wear a lot of different hats.

Pot-TV is great! I started at the end of May. Steve and Michelle Kubby
were the hosts, and when Steve got really sick, Michelle asked if I
could co-host. I did four or five shows with her and got good reviews,
so when they decided to move on, Marc asked me to take over. I feel
like one of the luckiest people in the world now. I do it from my
house in Alabama, but they're upgrading the server in Vancouver and
are about to start doing live broadcasts from BCMP headquarters there.
We're looking at doing a cable version and some other expansions;
there are investors looking at it. We're trying to take it to the next
level. We don't want to be just a bunch of hippies. We want it do be
like CNN in its credibility and the breadth and scope of its coverage.

Chronicle: So how has life as an activist been?

Nall: Very exciting. In the last year-and-a-half, I've spoken at events in
Atlanta, Ohio, Oregon, Seattle, and, of course, at DPA in New Jersey. I
went to Goose Creek twice, and that was my first really confrontational
activist gig. It was frightening, very racist. I was a little bit scared.
Still, I felt like I had an advantage over some other people because at
least I was southern. If nothing else I informed people of their rights.
The second time, I talked to Jesse Jackson a little bit, and went on my
first civil rights march. And now Principal McCrackin's resigned! I was so
happy you had to peel me off the ceiling. And there's a lesson there: When
big shit happens, don't be afraid to go in and set up shop. Have your
material ready and start talking to the first person you meet. If you can
get to where something is going on and start spreading the word, that helps
everybody. Those kids and parents in Goose Creek were so happy to see us;
they could see they weren't alone.

Chronicle: And you met with Dennis Kucinich?

Nall: Yes, I traveled to Austin to interview him for Pot-TV. He has a very
progressive drug policy platform, and his campaign has asked me to work
with them on drug policy. The USMJ Party is supporting Kucinich. We will be
taking out full-page ads in the major primary states in support of Kucinich
and his drug policy planks. Look for ads in Boston, Rhode Island, New
Jersey, and Delaware soon.

Chronicle: How does a self-described libertarian end up supporting a
progressive Democrat like Kucinich?

Nall: He has a pretty good platform overall. I guess we'll have to go our
separate ways on gun control.


Source: Drug War Chronicle (US Web)
Contact: psmith@drcnet.org
Website: http://www.stopthedrugwar.org/