Legalise Cannabis Australia (LCA), also known as the Legalise Cannabis Party (LCP) and formerly the Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party, is a registered single-issue Australian political party.[2] It has a number of policies that centre around the re-legalisation and regulation of cannabis for personal, medicinal and industrial uses in Australia.[3]
The party's headquarters were based in Nimbin, New South Wales, which is known to have a high population of recreational cannabis users and hippies.[4]
History
Formation
The group was founded in 1993 by Nigel Quinlan, who ran as a candidate under the name Nigel Freemarijuana. In 2001, Freemarijuana's name was assessed by the Australian Electoral Commission as to whether it was suitable to be added to the electoral roll – the Commission found that it was, meaning Freemarijuana could run as an electoral candidate under the name.[5]
Deregistration and re-registration
In 2007, prior to the 2007 federal election, HEMP was de-registered as a political party by the Australian Electoral Commission after a random audit of its membership.[6] The group re-applied for party registration in February 2010, but according to HEMP secretary Graham Askey, delays in processing their application meant that registration did not proceed in time before the 2010 federal election was called.[7] It was formally re-registered on 23 September 2010.[8]
Name change
At the party's AGM held on 11 September 2021, a name change was proposed to change the party's name to Legalise Cannabis Australia, which was passed in a vote by party members.[9]
HEMP has stood candidates in several federal and state elections, since its formation.[10]
The party received a nationwide Senate vote of 0.71 percent at the 2013 federal election. Historically the party's best result was at the 1994 Elizabeth by-election in South Australia with a 5.37 percent primary vote.
For the 2016 federal election, the (HEMP) Party fielded two candidates for the Senate in New South Wales, but only one each in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. So that the candidates did not end up in the "ungrouped" column, they teamed up with the Australian Sex Party which also fielded a single senate candidate in most states. It also fielded a candidate for the Division of Solomon in the House of Representatives.[11]
The HEMP Party scored well in the 2019 federal election with over 260,000 votes and 1.8% of the primary senate vote.[12]
Michael Balderstone ran in the 2020 Eden-Monaro by-election and received 2.3% of votes beating out almost every other minor party.[13]
In the 2024 Queensland by-election, LCP candidate Lindsay Melody gained a primary vote of 14.57%[16] in the outer suburban seat of Ipswich West - a new high for the party.
^The Help End Marijuana Prohibition Party was de-registered by the Australian Electoral Commission before the 2007 election, and re-registered after the 2010 election.
^Schultz, Amber (2 April 2023). "From bong to ballot: The rise of the Legalise Cannabis Party". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2023. Legalise Cannabis is a single-issue party, aiming to legalise cannabis, introduce a moratorium on arrests of cannabis consumers, and reform drug driving laws so impairment, not presence, is tested.
