Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
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Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
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| Leader | Julian Crawford |
| President | Richard Goode |
| Deputy | Abe Gray |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | 66 David St, Dunedin |
| Ideology | Cannabis legalisation |
| Colours | Green, Black, White |
| MPs in the House of Representatives | 0 |
| Website | |
| www |
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Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (ALCP; also known as the Cannabis Party) is a political party in New Zealand. It is dedicated to removing or reducing restrictions on the use of cannabis and similar substances.
Under New Zealand's Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, cannabis is currently classed (depending on product / substance) as either a Class B drug ("Very high risk of harm") or a Class C drug ("moderate risk of harm").
The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Caversham, Dunedin. Michael Appleby led the party from 1996 until standing down in 2013, after which Julian Crawford was elected as leader. It has contested every general election since its founding as well as six by-elections and intends to contest the 2017 election. The party has never won representation in Parliament.
The Cannabis Party's policies all relate to cannabis, hemp, or drug education. These include legalising possession, growing and use of cannabis for those over 18, creating a 'medpot' card, taxing companies involved in the cannabis industry, removing the need for a licence to grow hemp, and funding drug education and research.
In 2008, Crawford invited Dunedin South MP David Benson-Pope to join the Cannabis Party, but he declined, saying, "Their judgement has obviously been impaired by their recreational habits".
Two Cannabis Party candidates went on to become Members of Parliament for the Green Party. Nándor Tánczos and Metiria Turei were both ALCP candidates in 1996; Tánczos became a Green MP in 1999 and Turei became a Green MP in 2002.
The Cannabis Party's best general election result was in first election in 1996 where it won 1.66% of the party vote. It won 1.10% of the party vote in 1999, but since then has not received more than 1% of the party vote in any election. The Cannabis Party has nominated candidates for electorate seats in each election. No ALCP candidate has ever won a seat. In the last ten years (the 2008-2014 general elections), the most successful ALCP candidate was Emma-Jane Mihaere Kingi, who won 1,005 votes in the Te Tai Tonga electora (5% of electorate votes cast).
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