Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
image:AotearoaLegaliseCannabisPartyLogo.png

The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (sometimes known as the ALCP) is a small political party in New Zealand (Aotearoa). It is dedicated to removing or reducing restrictions on the use of cannabis and similar substances. The ALCP describes current legislation on cannabis as being "oppressive", and says that users of cannabis are subject to "persecution". It compares laws against cannabis to the historic prohibition of alcohol.

The ALCP has never won representation in Parliament, although managed to win 1.66% of the vote in the 1996 elections. Its support has declined somewhat since that point, however - in the 1999 elections, it won 1.10% of the vote, and in the 2002 elections, it won only 0.64%. Some of this decline may be attributed to the rise of the Green Party as an independent entity - the Greens also support the reform of drug laws, but are considered to be a more viable party. Two Green MPs, Nandor Tanczos and Metiria Turei, were ALCP candidates in 1996. It has occasionally been suggested that the ALCP should dissolve, and that its members should transfer their support to the Greens - the party's leader, Michael Appleby, raised such a possibility in early 2002. The party remains in existence, however, and contested the by-election in Te Tai Hauauru in mid 2004 â?? with their candidate, Dun Mihaka, receiving 197 votes (2.52%).

Legalise Cannabis Alliance
The Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) is a political party registered in the United Kingdom with the cannabis leaf image as its emblem. In Cannabis: legalise and utilise (2000) the LCA declared its beliefs as follows:

* The use of cannabis ought to be a matter of choice and not of law
* The prohibition of cannabis is against the public interest
* The prohibition of cannabis contravenes Human Rights
* The prohibition of cannabis inhibits the use of a beneficial resource
* The legalisation of cannabis is a very important step that should be taken to benefit the people and the environment

History

In 1992 the Campaign to Legalise Cannabis International was formed in Norwich to fight politically for the legalisation of cannabis worldwide and, under the name Legalise Cannabis Alliance, this organisation was registered as a political party in the United Kingdom in March 1999. Registration occurred after Howard Marks had stood as a legalise cannabis candidate in four different constituencies of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in the 1997 general election: Norwich North, Norwich South, Southampton Test and Neath. In the same general election Buster Nolan described himself as the New Millennium, New Way, Legalise Cannabis candidate in Braintree.

The first official LCA candidate in a House of Commons election was Colin Paisley in the November 1999 Kensington and Chelsea byelection. He took 141 (0.7%) of the votes. The second was Derrick Large in the May 2000 Romsey byelection. He took 417 (1.1%) of the votes.

In the June 2001 general election the LCA had candidates in 13 constituencies. Their best result was in Workington, where John Peacock took 1040 (2.5%) of the votes cast.

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

In the May 2005 general election the LCA contested 21 constituencies. This was 8 more than in the 2001 general election, but included only 6 that had been contested in that previous election. In all these 6 constituencies the LCA suffered a fall in its share of the vote, and the average share across 21 constituencies was well down from that across the previous 13. There best results were in Leigh and Worthing East and Shoreham. In Leigh, Thomas Hampson took 1.5% of the votes. In Worthing East and Shoreham, Chris Baldwin also took 1.5%.
2005 general election performance

Constituencies: Candidates: Votes: Share (%): Change:
Canterbury Rocky van de Benderskum 326 0.7 N/A
Carlisle* Lezley Gibson 343 1.0 -0.6
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Sid James Whitworth 272 0.7 N/A
Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South Alex Daszak 236 0.6 N/A
Conwy Tim Evans 193 0.6 N/A
Dorset South Vic Hamilton 282 0.6 N/A
Great Yarmouth Michael Skipper 389 0.9 N/A
Hull East Carl Wagner 182 0.6 N/A
Hull North* Carl Wagner 179 0.6 -1.1
Leigh Thomas Hampson 415 1.5 N/A
Neath Pat Tabram 334 0.9 N/A
Norwich South* Don Barnard 219 0.5 -1.0
Orkney and Shetland Paul Cruickshank 311 1.8 N/A
Penrith and the Border* Mark Gibson 549 1.2 -0.8
Surrey East Winston Matthews 410 0.8 N/A
Swansea West Steve Pank 218 0.7 N/A
Vale of Clwyd Jeff Ditchfield 286 0.9 N/A
Workington* John Peacock 381 1.0 -1.5
Worthing East and Shoreham* Chris Baldwin 677 1.5 -0.6
Worthing West Chris Baldwin 550 1.2 N/A
Ynys Mon Tim Evans 232 0.7 N/A

''*Contested also in the general election of June 2001

Please see LCA in UK Parliament elections for details of performance in other elections.