Marijuana political parties

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Marijuana parties are formal political parties set up specifically to legalise cannabis. Often their aims are not exclusively about the use of cannnabis as a drug, but this is an important feature of them. They have been set up in several countries, including Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Some use the Marijuana Party name. Some use other names, including Ale Yarok (Green Leaf), Bloc pot, Grassroots Party and Legalise Cannabis Party.The use of marijuana as an English name for cannabis (known also as hemp) can be traced to the US Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 and to US newspaper usage of the 1920s and 30s. Most readers of the time would not have recognised marijuana as a name for something they themselves might be using as a prescribed medicine. The Marijuana Tax Act had the effect of prohibitting virtually all uses of cannabis, including both medicical or therapeutic use and non-drug industrial uses. Cultivation and use of cannabis was already controlled. In 1937 however, prohibition of medical use seems to have been quite unexpected by the American Medical Association and to have been against their advice. In the UK this particular prohibition was not introduced until 1971 when the Misuse of Drugs Act was passed. The marijuana name is Latin American in origin and the US legislation of 1937 represented what some regard as racist opinion about drug use. They have a generally libertarian character, with few other common positions. Some consider a marijuana party to be a sort of single-issue green party.

A poster in Valencia, Spain, urges a vote for the Cannabis Party in Spain's March 2004 general election

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Australia

In the 1970s J.J. McRoach ran for parliament as candidate for the Australian Marijuana Party. He had an advertising campaign funded by a well-meaning anonymous dealer. His party came fourth in the elections.

The independent HEMP Legalise Marijuana party continues to run in the upper house in South Australian legislative elections, with their best result being in 1997 when they received 1.7% of the vote, beating relatively popular parties such as the SA Greens and the SA branch of the National Party of Australia.

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria there is the the non-government organization Promena.

Canada

In Canada, the Marijuana Party of Canada was launched by the Québécois Bloc pot in February 2000 to work at the federal level. There are also other party organizations at the provincial level.

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Marijuana PartySee [The Saskatchewan Marijuana Party] functions in a politically independent fashion, and does not hold any formal association to any other political organizations federally or provincially. On april 20th of 2006, the party submitted their petition of registration to elections Saskatchewan. the petition was successful and the party was fully registered as a political party in the province of Saskatchewan as of June 7th, 2006.

The party is currently in the process of adopting a formal constitution crafted by an interim governing body headed by an interim president, treasurer, secretary and several vice presidents.

The party leader is currently Nathan Holowaty. Nathan Holowaty has referred to himself as a socially responsible libertarian and believes in the full scale legalization of cannabis. Nathan has a degree in political studies from the University of Saskatchewan.

The party's president and chief executive is currently Ethan Erkiletian, an abstainer of substances and a self-described Red Tory. Ethan is a former member of the Progressive Canadian Party national council.

British Columbia

In British Columbia, the British Columbia Marijuana Party works independently from the Marijuana Party of Canada.

Quebec

In Quebec, the Québécois Bloc pot ran in their first election campaign in 1998. In February 2000, the party launched the Marijuana Party of Canada which ran 73 candidates in the 2000 federal election. Bloc pot is now the provincial counterpart of the Marijuana Party of Canada.

Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia, there is the Marijuana Party of Nova Scotia.

Israel

Cannabis leaf

In Israel the Ale Yarok (Green Leaf) party participated in the past three elections and was very close to pass to the parliament. However, they were unsuccessful in legalising marijuana.

New Zealand (Aotearoa)

In New Zealand the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party ran for the first time in 1996. They have never had any Members of Parliament, but have averaged around 1% of the popular vote - one fifth of what is necessary to gain MPs under New Zealand's proportional representation system. A former member, Nandor Tanczos, is an MP as part of the New Zealand Green Party. (He was also New Zealand's first ever Rastafarian Member of Parliament). The party had candidates in the 2005 general election.

The New Zealand Green Party maintains a cannabis-reform policy, focussed around decriminalisation.

Spain

In Spain the Partido Cannabis participated in the Spanish general election, 2004, by standing candidates for seats in the Cortes in three provinces, (Valencia, Alicante and Valladolid). They scored between 0.35% and 1.11% of votes cast.

United Kingdom

Logo of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance

In the United Kingdom there is the Legalise Cannabis Alliance.

The Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) was registered as a political party in March 1999. The party drew inspiration from the performances of Howard Marks and Buster Nolan as independent legalise canabis candidates in the 1997 general election. (Howard Marks stood in four different constituencies of the House of Commons.)

By the time of the 2001 general election the party had experience of campaigns in two House of Commons by-elections and various local government elections. In the general election the party contested 13 constituencies and their share of the vote ranged from 1.1% to 2.5%.

In January 2004 cannabis prohibition in the UK was relaxed. Cannabis had been a class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: it became a class C substance. Many people saw this change as virtual 'decriminalisation': it was a long way short of full legalisation.

The LCA contested 21 constituencies in the 2005 general election. Their share of the vote ranged from 0.6% to 1.8%.

Alun Buffry is perhaps the key figure in the party's organisation to date.

Ireland

In the Ireland there were attempts to etablish a Cannabis legalisation Party however the government have so far refused to allow any such parties to be registered. A number of individuals including journalist Olaf Tyaransen have stood in various elections (national, Local and European) as independent candiates on a legalise cannabis platform. The only success to date has been the election of "Ming" Luke Flannigan to Roscommon County Council although it is generally accepted that Flannigan's success was also mainly due to his stance on other political issues.

United States

In the United States there is the US Marijuana Party with local chapters in 29 states. There are also state-level parties.

California

In California there is the California Marijuana Party.

Minnesota

In Minnesota there is the Grassroots Party.

New Jersey

In New Jersey there is [The Legalize Marijuana Party] founded by Ed Forchion.

New York State

In New York State, in 1998 and 2002, the Marijuana Reform Party of New York State ran candidates for governor and other statewide offices. In 2004, a federal judge held that, by running candidates in 1998 and 2002 statewide elections, the Marijuana Reform Party demonstrated a "modicum of support" sufficient to entitle it to an injunction compelling the state board of elections to recognize the party and allow voters to enroll in it. Viable in New York State because of its unique fusion political system, it remains the only political party in the United States recognized on a statewide level and dedicated to the advocacy of marijuana law reform.