Politics Makes for Strange Bed Fellows

Alabama Marijuana Party vs. The Christian Coalition 
The Birmingham Post Herald published a piece on Ashcroft v. Raich and the issue of States Rights. Alabama along with Mississippi and Louisiana filed an amicus brief in support of Raich. I am quoted in this article.

The brief also mentions that Alabama treats the possession of marijuana as a Class A misdemeanor that can result in a year in prison for the first offense. Selling or transporting marijuana is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The brief includes statistics on drug arrests in Alabama, mentioning the 9,469 arrests for marijuana possession in 2003, which represent 57 percent of all drug arrests.

One of those arrested under Alabama's marijuana law was Loretta Nall of Alexander City. She's appealing a conviction earlier this year on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia related to a bust at her Alexander City home. She praised the attorney general's office for writing the brief, calling it "wonderful."

Nall is now chairwoman of the Alabama Marijuana Party and the U.S. Marijuana Party. The group, which is pushing for the legalization of marijuana, hopes to convince state lawmakers to introduce medical marijuana legislation in the Legislature next year, she said.

"And so it bodes well for us, if we're able to get something through the Alabama state Legislature, that the Alabama attorney general has come out and said already that he supports states' rights, even though he's antidrug and antimedical marijuana on premise," she said.

Read what the Christian Coalition had to say here
. UPDATE: John Giles of the Christian Coalition of Alabama was recently SLAMMED by Alabama media for taking money from Indian casino's in Mississippi to lobby against gambling in Alabama. Hey John, God frowns on HYPOCRITES.