What things were like before the federalization of local police

I had a doctor's appointment today with a doctor I have used off and on for many years. I haven't seen him much in recent years because I live in a different county. However, I have been unable to find a general practitioner that I feel comfortable using where I live and decided to go back to the familiar.

During the course of today's visit my line of work came up and we started discussing politics, which eventually led to the discussion of medical marijuana.

I asked, "What do you think about medical marijuana? Do you support it?"

The doctor smiled in an odd sort of way and said, "Back when I first opened my practice here one of my first patients had cancer. Nothing I prescribed for him helped with the nausea from chemo. So, I went up to the Sheriff's office and asked the Sheriff to give me some marijuana from the evidence room for my patient. He did."

I was almost too stunned to say anything!

Me: "So, you support it then?"

Doctor: "Yes. There is a pill form available though."

Me: "Marinol. Yes I know. Two of the patients I work with have had it prescribed for them. Neither of them found it very useful and Medicaid and Medicare won't cover it. Since it costs around $700 a month it is cost prohibitive for most people."

Doctor: "That's right they don't cover it. Tell me about the bill."

So, I discussed the ins and outs of the bill with him and told him if he had any patients that might benefit from the passage of this bill to let them know about the bill. I also asked him to contact his Rep. and ask for their support. I would've asked him to testify at the committee hearing, but I felt it best not to 'pile on' until more information is exchanged between us.

That story he told me about his cancer patient really threw me for a loop....a big one. It was about the last thing I expected. I know who was Sheriff at that time, too.

It is amazing to think of a time, not so long ago (less than 20 years), when the local small-town doctor could not only recommend marijuana to a patient, but could actually go down to the Sheriff's office and ask for some from the evidence locker and have his request granted. That's like total Mayberry stuff!

In less than 20 years we have gone from the compassion and common sense demonstrated in the story above to prosecuting wise and compassionate doctors, revoking their license and arresting and imprisoning people with cancer, HIV/AIDS, MS and a whole long list of other illnesses simply for recommending or using this NATURAL plant.

This is what the drug war has brought us. It will continue to bring us even worse things unless we stand up and say ENOUGH! It will only go as far as We The People allow it to. Please tell the House Judiciary committee YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH!




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Audio: Loretta Nall on Matt Murphy

Yesterday, I was a guest on the Matt Murphy Show where we talked about HB679 The Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act. If you missed yesterday's broadcast you can Listen Here.


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Correct NORML Podcast Link

All,

I did an interview with NORML a little over a week ago and sent out the wrong link to the podcast. In this interview I talk about HB679, our patients Laura Campbell, Christie O'Brien, Don Prockup and Michael Phillips.

Please excuse the delay in getting the correct link out to all of you.
LISTEN HERE!



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Compassionate Care Meeting Thursday, Feb. 21

Alabamians for Compassionate Care will conduct a meeting/training session Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008 at

Two Pesos Mexican Grill
201 Southgate Dr
Pelham, AL 35124
(205) 987-3800

The meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. and last until 7:00 p.m. We will be discussing this years bill, our strategy for getting it passed out of committee, recruiting new patients and medical professionals who are interested in supporting this bill, discuss the documentary film about to be made about our group and talk about who will be giving testimony this year.

Please join us if you are able, pass this invitation along to everyone you know and bring along some friends. Appetizers will be on the house. Any additional food or drinks will be dutch treat.

For more information please email Loretta Nall at lorettanall@gtmail.com or Christie O'Brien at reederchristie@yahoo.com

Hope to see you there!

Loretta Nall
Executive Director
Alabamians for Compassionate Care
http://www.compassionate-care.org (website)
http://compassionate-care.blogspot.com/ (blog)




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Three Anti-Prohibition Letters in todays BHAM News

Today the Birmingham News printed three LTE's in response to "This is not your father's marijuana column in last Sunday's paper.


WAR ON DRUGS:

Prohibition strengthens pot

This is in response to Monday's "Expert Opinion" (Today's marijuana stronger than pot of the 1960s," Health section).

The article mentions an increase in young people abusing prescription drugs. Is anyone surprised by that? Hey, at least they aren't smoking evil pot, right? Great job, government. Demonize the one natural plant that can't possibly kill our kids or anyone else and constantly advertise to kids the nifty little pharmaceutical drugs that will kill them. They're OK, right? They came from a government-licensed pharmacy, after all.

Speaking of pot, addiction expert Beth Gregory drags out the tired, old argument that this is not your father's marijuana, saying it's more potent and can be laced with other illicit drugs. What she and others fail to see is that increased strength and adulterated products are a direct result of the prohibitionist laws they support.

Back during alcohol Prohibition, people went from drinking beer and wine to drinking whiskey. Why? Because whiskey was more concentrated, stronger and easier to smuggle and hide from the "revenuers." It's no different with illicit drugs.

During Prohibition, we also had bathtub gin and gut-rot whiskey that would kill people or make them go blind. Adulterated marijuana is a direct result of drug prohibition. With no market or safety regulations in place, you never know what you'll get. Whenever something is driven underground, this is what happens.

If you are a supporter of drug prohibition, you are getting exactly what you asked for.

Loretta Nall

Alexander City

Drug dealers have the control:

In a recent article ("Today's marijuana stronger than pot of the 1960s," Monday Health), an addiction expert said the marijuana of today is laced with formaldehyde, pills and cocaine. It would appear that if it was legal, regulated and controlled, we wouldn't have that problem.

The way it is now, the drug dealers have all the control. They control what and who they sell to.

Dawn Palmer

Tarrant


Drug use goes through trends:

The Birmingham News is right to report the recent news from the Monitoring the Future survey about teen drug use. Unfortunately, News staff writer Dave Parks made the all-too-common error of accepting without question the statements coming from the government about drugs and their use and abuse.

Statistics are so easily manipulated. If one takes the government data and, instead of comparing today's numbers against a year suitable in portraying the numbers they want us to see, compares the most recent numbers against 1991, drug use has risen in almost all categories. Drug use goes through trends. What was popular in 2007 won't be popular in 2012.

As to the alleged increase in cannabis (marijuana) potency: There has always been pot with high THC content. Today, because the war on drugs has achieved the exact opposite of its intended purpose, there is so much pot available that among that which is seized, there is more high grade compared to the 1960s and '70s. (Trust me; I was there.)

The government's war on drugs actually places our children in harm's way more than it protects them.

Allan Erickson

Drug Policy Forum

of Oregon

Eugene, Ore.

So, I've Been a Really Good Girl this Year

It's that time of year where most of us begin to reflect on the things that happened in our lives in the previous 12 months. In 2007 I really focused all of my energy and work inside Alabama, as opposed to years past, when I spent much of my time on issues outside the state. The 2007 year in review will look scant when compared to the 2006 Year in Review. However, I find that work inside the state is much more fulfilling for me because Alabama is my home and I love her. Not to mention that if I intend to live out all of my days here then there's some shit that's gotta change.

Let's review shall we?

January 2007 was something of a slow month.

LTE on dependence of the criminal justice system on drug prohibition published in the Mobile Press-Register

Invited to Speak at MENSA Gathering

February

Began holding Compassionate Care meetings on a regular basis

I reviewed Barry Cooper's "Never Get Busted" video

The review of that video set off a chain reaction of Barry Cooper threats, personal attacks, demands, child-like behavior and finally the threat of legal action over my opinion of his DVD. I still stand by that opinion, by the way. Most of the correspondence is linked at the bottom of the page linked above if you care to read it.

Attended Vigil for Billy Jack Gaither

In mid-Feb. a coach at my kids school paddled a student so hard that it left large rectangular bruises on his back, buttocks and legs. The coach had the misfortune of paddling a kid whose mom works with my husband. WHen I got wind of it and saw the pictures I decided to do something about it.

It's Child Abuse

Protest at Horseshoe Bend School

Parents Allege Assault After Sons Paddling

An Invitation for the Community to come to the Table

This case is ongoing.

March 2007

Back to Court

More Court Shenannigan's

My MeMaw Dies and I Pay Tribute to Her Buttermilk

Protested the Alabama Legislative body's HEIST of our bank accounts

April
Appeared on the NORML podcast

My explanation of why the State of Alabama is WRONG and I am RIGHT

Another Court Appearance

More Gems from my Trial Transcript

D.A. taints Nall Jury Pool

After 4 1/2 years my case is DISMISSED On 420 Oh Hell Yeah!

Former Candidate for Governor Cleared of Marijuana Charges

Drug Charges Against Alex City Gubernatorial Candidate Dropped

One Time Candidate Beats Drug Case

May

LTE's on medical marijuana written by members of Compassionate Care

Let Doctors Treat Their Patients

Medical Marijuana Gets Panel Hearing

House Panel Hears Case for Medical Marijuana

June

Loretta Goes to Church

Alabama Senate Brawl

Fighting Legislators Deserve Students' Treatment

Which Ways Hooters?

July

Nall Addresses MENSA

An Admitted Child Sodomizer Walks Free

My comments in that post got me an invite to appear on Hannity & Colmes


Loretta Nall on the Attack Machine

And Where is Troy King, btw?

The Drug Court Discussion Begins

Hillary Clinton Copies my Cleavage Campaign

August

Fighting Back Against Reefer Madness

Critics Resort to Reefer Madness

Relax Medical Marijuana Laws

Two Letters in the Birmingham News

My Brother Dies on me While Riding Down the Interstate

What Happens if you can't afford car insurance?

Working Poor Being Harassed

Drug Courts Expand in Alabama

September

Leave Pot Smokers Alone

Remove Pot Smokers from Drug Court Equation

Loretta LIVE from Wal-Mart

Incarceration No Cure for Addiction

October

Beam Me Up Scotty...There's No Intelligent Life at Wal-Mart

Things Wal-Mart customers do that piss me off!

Veteran Alabama Political Commentator Bob Ingram Dies

A Gripe About the Food Stamp Program

Half of Alabama drug arrests are for simple possession of marijuana

Squandered Resources in War on Drugs

Back to my real life

November
Now, November was the most fun month of all. It started when "King Troy" our Attorney General hinted that he would waste legislative time and taxpayer money trying to make the anti-obscenity law in Alabama tougher. Seeing as how the courts have already ruled that Alabamian's do not have a constitutional right to sexual privacy I'm not entirely certain how it could be tougher. Apparently though it wasn't tough enough to close down an adult novelty store in Hoover. Hence King Troy's misstep in my favor. When he announced that he might take it back before the legislature I decided that if Troy wanted to focus on sex toys then, by God, that's what we'd do. So, I started a

Sex Toys for Troy King Drive which I kicked off by sending Troy an inflatable, penetratable pig!

The next day the Mobile Press-Register ran with the story Woman Fights King on Sex Toys

And then editorial cartoon genius J.D. Crowe really summed it up with the following editorial cartoons.





The Tuscaloosa News penned a stellar editorial about the need for folks like me in Alabama politics

Internet Helps "Sex Toys for Troy King" reach nation (with what has to be the best opening line ever!)

Press-Register Editorial: Scrap the Sex Toys Law and Let's Move On

Sex Toys for Troy Makes Rolling Stone & DAME Magazines

Legislator Pre-Files Bill to Repeal Sex Toy Ban

December

J.D. Crowe Strikes Again



Aside from the funny that J.D. provided December has not been such a great month so far. On Dec. 5, seven friends and I set out for a trip to New Orleans for the International Drug Policy Reform Conference. This was the first time I had ever taken an Alabama delegation with me to one of these. A few of my fellow travelers were medical marijuana patients who were going to the conference to learn more about how to get the Compassionate Care Act passed in Alabama and to meet other people with similar conditions. All was well until the morning we were scheduled to depart for home. I found one of our members had suddenly and unexpectedly passed in his sleep during the night.

You can read about Michael Paul Phillips and his tragic death here

See Photos of Michael Having Fun in New Orleans

You can read the eulogy I gave at his funeral here

Here are some other pictures from the New Orleans trip.

So, that's where I stand right now and the year isn't over yet. I emailed the reporter for Rolling Stone yesterday to ask when the issue with "Sex Toys for Troy" would be out and he told me that the editor's at RS are waiting to see if anyone gets arrested before Christmas before they run it. I inquired as to who might possibly be arrested and on what charges and he said if anyone it would likely be the girls behind the counter at Love Stuff but, that Troy could also potentially come after me, too.

For distribution.

Of an inflatable pig.

Yeah.

Can you imagine the media circus my arrest would generate? Me arrested and jailed right before Christmas because I was generous and sent Troy King an early gift? Ah, well, no good deed goes unpunished I guess.

Here's a shot of me presenting the girls at Love Stuff with an autographed print of the original "Sex Toys for Troy" cartoon. I'm sending Don Siegelman one of those prints for Christmas to hang on his prison wall. I know he could use a laugh.


It's been a busy and productive year for me here in Alabama and I think I have been a very good girl overall. So, Santa (or any reader in the mood to play Santa to me this year) I'd really like the following.

A Day at the Spa (gift certificates available online :) )

Money is always well received and is put to good use as you can see from the past 12 months of activity.

A digital camera

A digital video camera

Or...just send me some love.

Happy Holiday's Y'all!!!

Saying Goodbye to Michael Phillips

(L to R - Michael Phillips, Loretta Nall, Christie Reeder)

Michael Paul Phillips' funeral was held today in Millbrook, AL. As with any funeral, it was a very solemn occasion. I was happy to see that the church was packed with Michael's friends and loved ones. Christie Reeder, Ralph Hendrix and myself were in attendance for Alabamians for Compassionate Care.

The morning started out all wrong. I put my dog outside in his pen and put his kennel in the car. I had planned to take him with me because I wasn't sure how long I would be gone. When I went to get him out of his pen he refused to come. I had to leave him alone, outside and hope that he would not escape and eat a neighbor or get killed in the road. I don't think I can take any more burials of the things I love this week.

The family had agreed to let me deliver one of Michael's eulogy's. When I went to print it out I discovered my printer had no ink. I called my friend Christie who printed one and brought it with her. When I started reading over it about 20 minutes before the funeral started I realized that the printer had chopped off words and deleted entire sentences from paragraphs. I didn't know what I was going to do. Michael's family lives right around the corner so I decided to call them and see if they could print it for me. I had already sent it to them for approval. His sister-in-law said they had already printed it out and that the family loved it. Michael's Uncle Ron brought me a copy to the church.

Michael's Uncle Ron was the first to speak. He and Michael were the same age and had grown up more as brother's than as Uncle and nephew. Ron spoke about the good times growing up and shared treasured family memories with us. He told a great story about when he and Michael were baptized. He said they went home immediately afterwards and burned all of their rock-n-roll tapes.....except their favorite ones. Michael's favorite band at that time was KISS. The Ron sang a beautiful rendition of "I'll Fly Away." It's always that song and "Precious Memories" that tear me apart at funerals.

Next I spoke. His family had requested that I not mention medical marijuana specifically because not everyone knew about that part of Michael's life and it might cause other complications that no one should have to deal with on a day like today. Michael had given me an olive green safari hat in New Orleans that looks just like the light tan one I wear everywhere. Just out of the blue came in my room one morning and said, "I brought you this hat." As I took the podium I donned the hat and explained why I was wearing it. At the end of the service a small boy came up to me and said, "Michael used to wear that hat all the time."

Here is the eulogy that I delivered for our friend Michael.

Good morning. My name is Loretta Nall and I have a few words I would like to say about Michael Paul Phillips. I'd like to start by thanking his family for graciously granting me a few minutes of this most precious and private time. They are very brave because most people would have serious reservations about turning me loose with a microphone at a funeral. But they know I loved Michael and that I am deeply scarred by his passing and that this is the very last thing that I will ever be able to do for him. So thank you Ms. Jackie and Mr. Bobby for trusting me once again with Michael.

I met Michael after he saw me on the Keith Olbermann show during the 2006 election. He called me up and told me he was a patient and that he wanted to be involved in passing a law that would make his life and the lives of people like him more tolerable.

I worked with Michael for a little over a year on some political issues that he was interested in. I guess you could say I was his patient advocate. He was born with an inoperable brain tumor that caused multiple seizures on a daily basis. He had taken every seizure medication known to humankind, and a few that were not, to no avail. He survived 4 different and unsuccessful brain surgeries that resulted in major injury to his brain causing him to have problems communicating, understanding and slowing his motor skills and coordination. As a result of that he was never able to be independent. He was never able to live on his own for very long, was never able to get his drivers license, never married and never had any children. He had also been mostly ostracized from society because the world is a cruel place especially for those with disabilities. I was fortunate to be counted among the friends that Michael had along with the small group of people who work with me here in Alabama.

I began taking Michael to our patient advocate meetings around the state and coaching him on how to stand before the heartless power structure in the Alabama State House and tell his story. His proudest moment came when he and his mother testified this year before the house judiciary committee and he got his name and story in the Mobile Press-Register and the Montgomery Advertiser. He was chomping at the bit to be able to testify again in 2008 and would call me multiple times a week to see when we were going back. He had found happiness and strength in speaking out and standing up for himself. I think for the first time in his life he had found his voice and even if he could not do the little things that so many of us take for granted in life, speaking out was the one thing he could do for himself and people like him. And he took to it with a vengance. It was a beautiful thing to witness him discovering his inner strength and it was nothing less than a blessing for me to be able to be a part of that.

A few months ago the organization that I work for offered scholarships to attend a conference in New Orleans about the issues Michael and I worked on together. I was able to secure one for him to attend. To say that Michael was excited would be a vast understatement. He called me or emailed me at least twice a day about the trip for a good month before we left. His child-like enthusiasim was a beautiful thing to behold. He told me this would be his first trip away from home since he graduated high school. That was 20 years ago. Michael had a lot of fun on this trip. He was fearful sure, but he was excited and he knew he was part of a group of people who cared about him and loved him and accepted him and understood what his life had been like. I want to paint a brief picture of Michael's last days with us.

On the way to New Orleans Michael had complete control of the stereo system. He brought his large CD collection of the same kind of music that I love and we cranked it up and sang most of the 300 miles to our destination. During the times the radio was off he talked about is mom and dad and said he would miss them during the trip. He talked about his little nephew and how much he enjoyed it when he would come into his room and ask Uncle Michael to print him out some coloring sheets and they would color together. He told us that he had asked for a dog for Christmas. He discussed his medical history with Ms. Terry Gillard and Ms. Dawn Palmer who were riding with us. There is a class action suit against one of the manufacturers of a drug he had recently stopped taking and he wondered if he might be able to get in on that. I told him we would research it when we got back. He said he better start losing weight and taking better care of himself because he wanted to look good as a millionaire.

At the conference Michael got to meet other people who had seizures, mulitple sclerosis, who were in wheelchairs....people like him who could really relate to what his life had been like. My experience with Michael was that he was mostly a very shy person but at this conference surrounded by people who could relate he came out of his shell and made many friends. He got to meet some people that were very important to him and he felt very proud of himself and you could see his confidence growing and taking root. He got to tell his story to people who got it. He got to walk down Bourbon Street which is something everyone should see before they die. He got to eat raw oysters every day. He took notes during the sessions we attended, struck up conversations with the strangers sitting anywhere near him, exchanged contact information with other patients who were destined to become his friends and had begun making plans for how he would implement all that he had learned once he got back home. No one was more shocked than I was to find that he had passed without warning in the night. Michael passed the way most of us hope to exit this world. Asleep and never the wiser and although he was away from home and his loved ones he was nontheless surrounded by people who love and cared about him.

What I want to leave you with today is a message of compassion. Michael was a grown man with all the brains, drive and passion of any normal person lucky enough to be born without brain tumors. Because of his lifelong struggle to survive, his numerous surgeries, and the toll his seizures took on his brain function and his physical body he lacked the communication skills to express himself and it took him a little longer sometimes to understand things, which was very frustrating for him. Not being able to do the small things we take for granted like drive to the store, live in your own place, have a job, take a trip or even have a dog of his own made Michael a man who had to live as a child...never having the opportunity to grow up.

I am so glad that Micahel's path crossed mine for he taught me many lessons about patience, which is something I am notoriously lacking. He taught me to look underneath what you can see on the outside of people and find their core, because while our differences may be many on the physical level our similarities, if we take the time to look for them are always many, many more.

Before I end this today I want all of you to take a moment and think about someone you know who may have problems similar to Michael's. Do you know someone who is disabled? Unable to drive? Lacking human companionship because they can't get out and make friends? Someone who is in need of a little extra understanding and compassion? Someone who is often not included because it is inconvenient for us to take them along? Michael did not ask to be born with inoperable brain tumors but for much of his life he was treated by society as if he had. Could you do a little more to help people like Michael feel loved and included? Could you offer to lighten the load on the family members who care for people like Michael? While I know they do not want his life to be seen as a burden to them there is no denying that caring for a terminally ill person takes a very big toll. I could do more and I will do more. I am going to take the very important lessons that Michael Phillips taught me and incorporate them in to my daily life by reaching out more to people that we as a society often isolate whether we mean to or not. Will you do the same?

Michael Phillips I am so blessed to have known you and your passing has left a huge hole in my life. I will miss your phone calls, funny emails and your innocence. I will continue the fight for the common beliefs that you and I shared because I know that is what you would want. While we will miss you we know that you are in a place that does not require drivers license, you have your own house with a dog and there are no such evil and monsterous things as inoperable brain tumors. Thank you for showing us the true meaning of courage and bravery. On behalf of Christie and Mitch O'Brien, Dawn Palmer, Terry Gillard, Ralph Hendrix, Gabriel Sayegh and all of the new friends you made in New Orleans Peace Out Buddy! We'll miss you.

His family had also requested that I read the lyrics to "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum

When I die and they lay me to rest
Gonna go to the place that's the best
When I lay me down to die
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky
That's where I'm gonna go when I die
When I die and they lay me to rest
Gonna go to the place that's the best

Prepare yourself you know it's a must
Gotta have a friend in Jesus
So you know that when you die
He's gonna recommend you
To the spirit in the sky
Gonna recommend you
To the spirit in the sky
That's where you're gonna go when you die
When you die and they lay you to rest
You're gonna go to the place that's the best

Never been a sinner I never sinned
I got a friend in Jesus
So you know that when I die
He's gonna set me up with
The spirit in the sky
Oh set me up with the spirit in the sky
That's where I'm gonna go when I die
When I die and they lay me to rest
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best
Go to the place that's the best

Afterwards I went over to Ms. Jackie and Mr. Bobby, got down on my knees in front of them and laid my head in their laps. They gave me comfort and I hope I provided comfort to them. Michael's family had brought a small CD player and played "The Best Day" by George Strait. I suspect that was a request from Michaels father who took his death very, very hard.

We loaded up my old station wagon
With a tent, a Coleman and sleepin' bags.
Some fishin' poles, a cooler of Cokes,
Three days before we had to be back.

When you're seven you're in seventh heaven
When you're goin' campin' in the wild outdoors.
As we turned off on that old dirt road
He looked at me and swore...

Dad, this could be the best day of my life.
I've been dreamin' day and night about the fun we'll have.
Just me and you doin' what I've always wanted to.
I'm the luckiest boy alive,
This is the best day of my life.

His fifteenth birthday rolled around,
Classic cars were his thing.
When I pulled in the drive with that old Vette
I thought that boy would go insane.

When you're in your teens
Your dreams revolve around four spinnin' wheels.
We worked nights on end 'till it was new again,
And as he sat behind the wheel he said,

Dad, this could be the best day of my life.
I've been dreamin' day and night about the fun we've had.
Just me and you doin' what I've always wanted to.
I'm the luckiest boy alive
This is the best day of my life.

Standin' in a little room back of the church with our tuxes on,
Lookin' at him I say, I can't believe, son that you've grown.
He said,

Dad, this could be the best day of my life.
I've been dreamin' day and night of bein' like you.
Now it's me and her,
Watchin' you and mom I've learned,
I'm the luckiest man alive,
This is the best day of my life.

I'm the luckiest man alive,
This is the best day of my life.


I mentioned in an earlier post that one of Michael's favorite bands was Metallica. While we were riding to Birmingham last week to pick up the rest of our group he played "Sanitarium" and said it was his favorite song ever. Understanding something about Michael's life and listening to that song with him while riding down the road I totally understood how that was his most favorite song ever. Read the lyrics and see if you don't agree.

Welcome to where time stands still
No one leaves and no one will
Moon is full, never seems to change
Just labeled mentally deranged
Dream the same thing every night
I see our freedom in my sight
No locked doors, no windows barred
No things to make my brain seem scarred

Sleep, my friend, and you will see
That dream is my reality
They keep me locked up in this cage
Can't they see it's why my brain says “rage”

Sanitarium, leave me be
Sanitarium, just leave me alone

Build my fear of what's out there
Cannot breathe the open air
Whisper things into my brain
Assuring me that I'm insane
They think our heads are in their hands
But violent use brings violent plans
Keep him tied, it makes him well
He's getting better, can't you tell?


No more can they keep us in
Listen, damn it, we will win
They see it right, they see it well
But they think this saves us from our hell

Sanitarium, leave me be
Sanitarium, just leave me alone
Sanitarium

Just leave me alone

Fear of living on
Natives getting restless now
Mutiny in the air
Got some death to do
Mirror stares back hard
kill is such a friendly word
seems the only way
for reaching out again

I got seperated from the funeral procession and was unable to locate and follow them to graveside services. I plan to visit Michael's grave when I have had some time to digest and accept all that has happened. Right now I am just too raw and drained. As I was driving home the radio station played "Paradise City" by Guns-N-Roses. That was one of the songs Michael and I sang at top volume on the way to New Orleans. He said we must look like the characters in "Wayne's World" when they were driving down the road and jamming to "Bohemian Rhapsody". I'm actually still hoarse from it. I cranked the stereo up all the way coming home, think I might have blown a speaker in the rental car and thought how perfect it was that song should come on at that moment.

Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the girls are pretty
Take me home (Oh, won't you please take me home)

Just an urchin livin' under the street
I'm a hard case that's tough to beat
I'm your charity case
So by me somethin' to eat
I'll pay you at another time
Take it to the end of the line

Rags to riches
Or so they say
You gotta
Keep pushin' for the fortune and fame
You know it's, it's all a gamble
When it's just a game
You treat it like a capitol crime
Everybody' doin' their time

Strapped in the chair of the city's gas chamber
Why I'm here, I can't quite remember
The surgoen general say's it's hazardous to breathe
I'd have another cigarette
But I can't see
Tell me that you're gonna belive

Capitain America's been torn apart
Now he's a court jester
With a broken heart
He said turn me around
And take me back to the start
I must be losing my mind
"Are you blind?!"
I've seen it all a mllion times

I want to go
I want to know
Oh, won't you please take me home

I want to see
Oh, look at me
Oh, won't you please take me home

Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the girls are pretty
Take me home (Oh, won't you please take me home)

Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the girls are pretty
Oh, won't you please take me home

Take me down
Oh yeah
Beat me down
Oh, won't you please take me home

I want to see
Oh, look at me
Oh, won't you please take me home

I want to see
Boy, I'm gonna be mean
Oh, oh take me home

Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the girls are pretty
Oh, won't you please take me home

I want to go
I want to know
Oh, won't you please take me hooooooome
Baby


When I got home I had a note in my inbox from Michael's brother Scott.

"loretta i think that is perfect and that you are wonderful! scott"

It was response to my question of whether the eulogy was acceptable to Michael's family. I am glad they liked it and I hope that I did Michael proud. It was an honor to tell the part of his story that I know and send him on his way with love from his friends. I want to thank the Phillips family for showing me so much warmth and kindness, for allowing me to be a part of Michael's ceremony and for allowing me to be a part of his life. I'll always share a bond with them now. Ms. Jackie and Mr. Bobby asked me to please let them know when the medical marijuana bill starts working its way through the legislature again because they plan to stand and speak for Michael and others like him whose lives could be made better by safe access to a simple plant. Michael will be very proud.

Michael's family is still in need of financial help to cover the cost of transporting his body from Louisiana to Alabama and covering the cost of his funeral. If you haven't already please take a moment and send them something now.
To mail a contribution please send a check or money order payable to Bobby or Jackie Phillips to

Bobby & Jackie Phillips
3802 Martha Lane
Millbrook, AL 36054

Or use the paypal button below to make a contribution online. These contributions will go to my account as the Phillips' family does not have one. I will then distribute any monies to them.

Michael Paul Phillips Obituary

Brookside Funeral Home

PHILLIPS, Michael Paul, age 38, a resident of Millbrook, AL died December 8, 2007 in his sleep after an extended illness. He was a graduate of Stanhope Elmore High School and had attended AUM. He is survived by his parents, Robert E. Phillips, Jr. (Bobby) and Jacqueline Arlene (White) Phillips; brother, Patrick Scott (Haley) Phillips; nephew, Wade; niece, Addison. He was the grandson of Dorothy Louise Phillips and the late Robert E. Phillips, Sr., Geraldine and Ron Pasley. He had numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, December 13, 2007, 10 AM from Brookwood Baptist Church with Rev. George Monfee officating, euology by Loretta Nall and Ron Pasley. Interment to follow service in Good Hope Baptist Church Cemetery, Eclectic, AL. Pallbearers will be John Lisk, Ryan McElvey, Jim Weldon, Jarrett Watson, Tommy Fikes, Hal Wilson, Travis Broderway and Ehson Kochi. Family will receive friends on Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 6 to 8 PM. at Brookside Funeral Home, Millbrook, AL. Brookside Funeral Home of Millbrook, AL Directing

Tragedy Strikes...The Death of a Friend

(Michael is pictured far right holding up his shirt.)

Dear All,

I write this post with a very heavy heart. On Sunday morning as my Alabama group was preparing to leave New Orleans for Alabama we discovered one of our members had died in the night.
Michael Paul Phillips of Millbrook, Al passed away on Sunday December 09, 2007. He was 38 years-old.

I had worked with Michael for a little over a year on the medical marijuana issue. He was born with an inoperable brain tumor that caused multiple seizures on a daily basis. He had taken every seizure medication known to humankind, and a few that were not, to no avail. Medical marijuana was the only thing on earth that reduced the number and severity of his seizures. He survived 4 different and unsuccessful brain surgeries that resulted in major injury to his brain causing him to have problems communicating, understanding and slowing his motor skills and coordination. As a result of that he was never able to be independent. He never lived on his own for more than a few months, was never able to get his drivers license, never married and never had any children. He had also been ostracized from society and had no friends other than myself and the small group of people who work with me here in Alabama.

I met Michael after he saw me on the Keith Olbermann show during the 2006 election. He called me up and told me he was a medical marijuana patient and that he wanted to be involved in passing the law so that he could stop being a criminal and living in fear of the police kicking in his parents door and seizing their property on top of his already nearly impossible life.

I began taking Michael to our Compassionate Care meetings around the state and coaching him on how to stand before the heartless fucking power structure in the Alabama State House and tell his story. His proudest moment came when he and his mother testified and he got his name and story in the Mobile Press-Register and the Montgomery Advertiser.

Michael was very excited about being able to testify again in 2008 and would call me multiple times a week to see if I knew when we were going back before the legislature. Michael, because of his disability, never had any friends to hang out with, to take him places or to make him feel like he was a part of a group who gave a fuck about him. I am so fortunate and blessed to have been able to proivide him with a circle of friends who also have some disabilities that could relate to how hard his life had been. He was always very excited when we were having a meeting because it meant that he got to get out of the house and be around people he could understand and who did not judge him or ostracize him or make him feel that he was different or burdensome in any way.

Thanks to the generous efforts of the DPA Michael was granted a scholarship to attend the International Drug Policy reform conference in NOLA. I think he called me twice a day for a month leading up to the conference. This was his first trip away from home in 20 years. His last was when he graduated high school and his parents took him to the beach...needless to say he was very excited. His child-like enthusiasim was wonderful to behold. Michael had a great time at the conference. He met other patients, struck up conversations on his own which was very rare for him, took notes during the sessions, had a ball walking down Bourbon St. watching what must have been a total freak show to him and eating raw oysters every day that he was there.

I last saw him after the closing session where he participated in a huge smoke-out in my room. He was having a blast. He had never been around so many people who asked what his story was or who were so willing to talk to him and include him. He left with four other group members and they all returned to their hotel for the evening. Everyone was tired and didn't want to go out. The plan was for everyone to meet up in the Holiday Inn lobby at 9 am for the trip back to Alabama. When I called around 830 to make sure everyone was up and almost ready I learned that no one could find Michael. They had searched high and low, been to his room and pounded on the door, called his room....and nothing. I asked the lady at the front desk to open the door so I could check on him. She said that she could not do that until after 11 am. I told her that this was a medical emergency and she called housekeeping to go by and peek in. About 25 minutes later housekeeping called back and said he was in his bed sleeping. I knew at that moment that he was probably dead.

I went to his room and banged on his door for a long time and called his name. Nothing. I asked again for the door to be opened so I could enter and was told not until 11. I then said if they didn't open the door I would kick the fucker off the hinges. They opened the door.

I walked over to his bed and laid my hand on his back. He was already long dead and cold. It appeared that he mercifully died in his sleep and he was laying on his side with one knee bent. Whatever took him did it quickly and painlessly and thankfully he never knew that the end of his life had come.

Having to call his parents and deliver that awful news ranks as one of the absolute worst moments of my life. They are devastated. His mother said, "Oh please don't leave my baby down there by hisself." I lost a child in 2000 and the strangest and most illogical things happen to your mind when that happens. You want to know if your baby is cold? Are the people with him people that can show him dignity? Is he alone? You want to hold and touch and caress them and the thought that they are alone is about more than you can bear. It does not matter that it is just a body and that the life force has departed. You want your baby.

However I had others with me who had to get back to work and to their families. We did stay until Monday and learned that it would be Tuesday before the funeral home here in Alabama could get his body back. There was some question as to whether they could get the body back at all due to Louisiana having very stringent laws regarding corpses. The funeral director told his mother this and the family got her to agree to let me come home ahead of the hearse. Leaving Michael was very hard. One of his fears before going on this trip is that he would get seperated from the group and be lost and alone. I'll always feel very badly about having to leave him. I know how his mama feels. It's an awful place to be in your mind.

I went to Michael's parents house last night to return his belongings that I was allowed to bring back and to mourn with them. I was terrified, just terrified, that they would be angry with me and blame me. I know that when my son died I certainly wanted something or someone to blame. It is a natural part of the grieving process I think. I was prepared for it...but it didn't come. Michael's parents were loving and warm. They thanked me for being one of the only friends that he ever had and for making him a part of something that had a great deal of meaning for him, for taking him places, for helping him find medicine and for taking him before the powers that be in Alabama so that his voice, which had been silenced and oppressed for the majority of his life, would be heard by important people. They thanked me for giving the last year of his life a meaning and substance that it had never had before.

Michael's body is now back in Alabama and funeral arrangements will be announced later today. While speaking with his family last night I learned that they had neither life nor burial insurance on Michael and that the added cost of transporting the body back from New Orleans was going to be enormous. Michael's father is unable to work due to having advanced COPD. His mother has worked all her life at a sewing plant. I would like to ask all of my readers to make a donation to help cover the cost for his family.

Please PayPal donations to me atvoodoodol_74@yahoo.com or if you prefer to mail them please send a check or money order payable to Bobby or Jackie Phillips to me at

4633 Pearson Chapel Rd
Alexander City AL 35010

If any of you would like to send flowers please send them to

3360 Brookside Dr
Millbrook, AL 36054
(334) 285-7442

If you are in Alabama and would like to attend Michael's funeral please email me offlist for more details. I will be delivering part of Michael's eulogy.

Please keep Michael Phillips and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Loretta Nall

Alabamians for Compassionate Care

Medical Marijuana in the Montgomery Advertiser

There is a great letter in today's opinion section of the Montgomery Advertiser entitled, Relax Medical Marijuana Laws and there is a great discussion as well. Please pop on over and join in.

House panel hears case for medical marijuana

By BRIAN LYMAN
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Capital Bureau
Mobile Press Register

MONTGOMERY -- Supporters of medical marijuana, including a Butler man suffering from two forms of cancer, asked a House Judiciary subcommittee Wednesday to approve a bill allowing doctors to prescribe the drug to patients.

Donald Prockup, a carpenter by trade battling leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, brought a box full of what he said were 1,000 prescriptions he had to help him deal with pain from his illnesses -- none of which, Prockup said, worked as well as marijuana.

"This medical marijuana alleviates a lot of this," Prockup told members of the House Judiciary Committee's Civil Justice Subcommittee. "I won't need (these drugs) any more."

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, would allow Alabama doctors to prescribe marijuana to alleviate the symptoms caused by 13 different medical conditions, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, seizures and glaucoma.

It would also allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for any medical condition that severely limits a person's ability to perform "major life activities" or would cause serious injury to a person's safety or medical health if not prescribed.

Hall, whose son died of AIDS 15 years ago, said marijuana could have alleviated some of the symptoms that he faced in his final months, including nausea and loss of appetite. She called the bill "very personal."

"This is a difficult week for me," she said. "This week, in 1992, our son was dying of AIDS. He was very ill, and if I'd had any opportunity to make that time easier, I would have done that."

Michael Phillips, a former Montgomery Advertiser writer who suffers from a benign brain tumor that gives him seizures, said four surgeries to remove the tumor have failed. He told the committee that marinol -- an FDA-approved drug whose active ingredient is THC, which is also found in marijuana -- has not controlled seizures he suffers due to his condition.

Marijuana, he said, reduced seizures from three to five a day to two seizures every six to eight weeks. He said he has been arrested twice for possession.

"Because of my disability, I'm considered a criminal, because of my four unsuccessful brain surgeries," he said.

Twelve states have decriminalized the use of medical marijuana, according to the Drug Policy Alliance, a New York-based group that seeks changes to national drug policies. In 2004, 76 percent of respondents in a Press-Register/University of South Alabama poll said they approved of doctors prescribing marijuana to patients.

Committee members did not vote on the bill at Wednesday's public hearing.

No one spoke in opposition to the bill, a fact noted by subcommittee Vice Chairman Charles Newton, D-Greenville.

Newton said the witnesses made an "outstanding case, an eloquent case" for the bill, but that he wants to hear from any opponents.

"We may ask why other states have not legalized it," he said. "We need to be more informed."

The Legislature has only four business days left on its calendar, and Newton noted that it would be very difficult -- but not necessarily impossible -- to pass the bill into law.

Hall said she would be content with getting the Judiciary Committee to approve the it.

"I'm not known for having bills with easy roads," she said.

Compassionate Care Public Hearing This Wednesday!!!!!!

UPDATE: After much confusion today over whether or not the COmpassionate Care Act would get a public hearing this Wednesday I have just learned that a public hearing will definitely take place at 9 a.m. on Wednesday in rm 123 of the Alabama State House. Please be there with bells on around 8 am to ensure you get a seat.


All,

I have just gotten word that the Compassionate Care Act is tentatively slated to come up for a public hearing this Wednesday, May 23 at 9 a.m. in room 123 of the Alabama State House located at 11 South Union St. in Montgomery.

What makes this complicated is that the Senate is still stalled and the House is not wanting to take up any controversial bills for the remainder of this session especially since the Senate is expected to continue to stall and a special session will be called. However, if the judiciary cmte calls for a public hearing on Wed., as I am hearing they will, then I will be there with all my folks and I would like for everyone reading this message to try and make it as well. We need to pack the room so be there around 8 a.m. to ensure that you get a seat.

Please RSVP and let me know whether or not you are coming on Wed. If anything changes....like the bill isn't coming up for a hearing, then I will let everyone know.

Hope to see you on Wednesday.

Loretta Nall

Medical Marijuana in the News

Yesterday and today the The Birmingham News published letters from two of the members of Alabamians for Compassionate Care regading medical marijuana. Many thanks to the BHAM News for publishing these letters. If you are an Alabama reader I urge you to write a response to these letters and to call y our elected officials and ask them to vote yes on HB206.

Also, MANY THANKS to Michael Phillips, Sara King and Dawn Plamer who has had letters published in the BHAM News rearding medical marijuana and drug prohibition in general. Y'all rock and I love you!

MEDICAL MARIJUANA:

Remove patients from war on drugs

I am a 36-year-old man with an inoperable brain tumor, which causes multiple seizures a day. I have been a patient at Children's Hospital and the Kirklin Clinic since the age of 8. I have had four unsuccessful brain surgeries. I have been on every seizure medication known to mankind, as well as some that never received Food and Drug Administration approval.

A few years ago, I saw a program on marijuana being used as a seizure deterrent. I decided to try marijuana as a medicine, and I have had better results using marijuana in its natural form than from any other treatment in my life. My seizures have decreased from six to eight per day to one seizure every six to eight weeks. My neurologists have documented this in my medical records.

I have also been arrested twice for possession of marijuana. It caused me great hardship both on a psychological level and a monetary level. I wondered then, as I do now, why people in 12 states are treated like patients and allowed access to medical marijuana, but here in Alabama I am treated like a criminal for trying to treat my illness. Are people in other states somehow more deserving of treatment options than Alabamians?

There is a bill, HB 206, before the House Judiciary Committee called the Compassionate Care Act, which would protect physicians who recommend marijuana to their patients for certain illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV and seizures. It also would protect the patients, like me, who use marijuana as medicine from being prosecuted under state law. Please call your elected officials and tell them to vote yes on the Compassionate Care Act.

If we must have a war on drugs, can we at least remove the patients from the battlefield first?

Michael Phillips

Millbrook


Bill supports effective treatment:

Have you or someone you love been a cancer patient and undergone radiation or chemotherapies? Maybe you or a loved one contracted HIV or suffer from multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, arthritis, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, anorexia or seizures. There is a pure, natural, harmless treatment relief available for the misery of these and other chronic, debilitating conditions: medical marijuana.

A group of Alabama citizens is working to change our current state laws, which would allow suffering patients access to this safe and effective treatment. There is a bill coming before the House Judiciary Committee to protect patients and their physicians in Alabama. Please call your elected officials and tell them to vote yes on HB 206, the Compassionate Care Act. Learn more about us and medical marijuana by visiting www.compassionate-care.org.

Sara King

Riverchase

A Medical Marijuana Patient gets Published

Tuscaloosa News

Dear Editor: I am a 36-year-old man with an inoperable brain tumor, which causes multiple grand mal seizures a day. I have been a patient at Children’s Hospital and the Kirklin Clinic since the age of 8. I have had four unsuccessful brain surgeries.

I have been on every seizure medication known to mankind, as well as some that never received the Federal Drug Administration’s approval. A few years ago, I saw a program on marijuana being used as a seizure deterrent. I decided to try marijuana as a medicine, and I have had better results using marijuana in its natural form than from any other treatment in my life. My seizures have decreased from six to eight per day to one every six to eight weeks. My neurologists have documented this in my medical records.

I have also been arrested twice for possession of marijuana. It caused me great hardship both on a psychological level and a monetary level. I wondered then, as I do now, why people in 12 U.S. states are treated like patients and allowed access to medical marijuana, but here in Alabama I am treated like a criminal for trying to treat my illness?

There is a bill before the House Judiciary Committee to protect physicians who recommend marijuana to their patients for certain illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and seizures, and the patients, like me, who use it as medicine from being prosecuted under state law. Please call your elected officials and tell them to vote yes on HB206 the Compassionate Care Act.
-----------------

I worked with one of the patients who is working with us at Compassionate Care to write this letter last week. Congratulations Michael!!! You did it!!

Good Reading Sunday

Dawn Palmer, a member of Alabamians for Compassionate Care, had this great letter published in the Montgomery Advertiser today.

Leave Prescribing to Physicians
Way to go Dawn!!

Here is an interesting LTE on the proposed public smoking ban.
Revenue Lost if Smoking Banned

Here is a great letter against gun control that works in the war on drugs.
Can't Depend on Police for Safety (you'll need to scroll down til you see it.

Compassionate Care Meeting Sat. April 7

Alabamians for Compassionate Care will be holding our weekly meeting this Saturday, April 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the following location

1902 Waterford Place (condos)
Hoover, AL 35244
click here for map and directions

This weeks meetiing will mostly focus on media training and testimonial training before the legislative body.

Refreshments will be provided. Please join us and bring a friend or two.

Loretta Nall on the NORML Podcast

Dear All,

After yesterday's committee meeting the good folks at NORML called me up for an interview for their podcast. You can listen to that interview here.

Compassionate Care Update

I just returned from the House Judiciary committee meeting where HB206 The Compassionate Care Act was brought up and immediately referred to the subcommittee on Civil Justice. I knew late yesterday that this is what we expected to happen today. The reason for referring it to the subcommittee is to fix a couple of technical things and it will not change the substance of the bill.

The bill should be out of subcommittee and back into the main judiciary committee within two weeks.

In the meantime please continue to call and write the members of the House Judiciary Committee.

In fact, let's have a little promotional fun. For everyone in Alabama reading this blog....if you can get 5 friends/family members/co-workers to write the judiciary committee I will give you a t-shirt or some other prize of your choosing from the Compassionate Care Gift Shop.

Here is how it works. When your friends send an email to the judiciary committee they have the option to have copy of the email sent to their inbox. Have them check the box to do that and then tell them to forward the copy to you. You can then forward it to me as proof that they contacted the judiciary committee. If you can get the same 5 friends to do a follow-up call with the members of the judiciary committee and report everything they say then you can choose 2 items from the gift shop.

All anyone has to do to send a pre-written letter of support to the judiciary committee is click this link.

Support Compassionate Care in Alabama Today!

Support Compassionate Care in Alabama Today!

Dear Loretta,

We just learned that HB 206, the medical marijuana bill in Alabama, is coming up for a public hearing in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow!

This is the first public hearing on HB 206, the Compassionate Care bill in Alabama. Legislators on this committee need to hear from you on this bill. They need to hear the message loud and clear that residents in Alabama support Compassionate Care.

The House Judiciary Committee is meeting on Wednesday, April 4, at 9 a.m. They will meet in the Alabama State House, Room 123. The State House is located at 11 South Union Street, Montgomery.

There are four things you can do right now to make sure this bill is passed out of the committee on Wednesday:

1. Send a message to the committee now, urging them to support medical marijuana.

2. Come testify at the Capitol on Wednesday in support of HB 206. The Committee members need to hear from Alabama residents about this important legislation. If you can come to testify, please email me directly at lorettanall@gmail.com. If you can’t come testify, but would like to submit testimony in support of the bill, please contact me by email or phone (212-613-8048) and we can prepare a testimony to submit to the committee on Wednesday.

3. Forward this action alert to five of your friends. Every time a person contacts legislators about HB 206, it increases the likelihood that the bill will pass!

4. Help us get in contact with sympathetic doctors and patients. This is especially important. If you know of a doctor or patients who support Compassionate Care, please contact me at gsayegh@drugpolicy.org or call 212-613-8048.

That’s it for now—remember, please send a message today, and forward this alert to five of your friends and family. With your support, we will pass HB 206 and win compassionate medical marijuana legislation in Alabama in 2007! For more information on HB 206, please see the bill text.

If you have any questions about medical marijuana in Alabama, contact me at lorettanall@gmail.com

My Posse

A shot of some of my fellow members of Alabamians for Compassionate Care from today's meeting.

Thanks for coming out today y'all!