A History of Pot Political Parties and Progress in Australia
The evolution and growth of the Legalise Cannabis movement in Australia, from grassroots activism to registered political entities.
The Legalise Cannabis Parties evolved from a grassroots movement that began in the '70s, with the founding of the Australian branch of NORML (National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).
In the early 1980’s the Australian Marijuana Party was born, running candidates in several state and federal elections.
The HEMP Party (Help End Marijuana Prohibition) was established in 1993. It arose from grassroots activist communities, including those involved in events like Nimbin’s MardiGrass, which became a key platform for raising awareness about the harms of prohibition. The party sought to challenge the stigma surrounding cannabis users and to promote industrial hemp.
In 2000, the HEMP Party was formally registered as a political party with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). This status enabled it to contest federal elections and bring cannabis law reform into the national political conversation.
In 2021 the Australian HEMP Party changed its name to ‘Legalise Cannabis Australia Party’. This transition signified a momentous evolution in the Party's identity and strategic direction, positioning it as a more focused and effective advocate for cannabis law reform.
Subsequently, Legalise Cannabis Parties were registered at a state level in QLD, WA, NSW, SA and VIC, each contesting state elections.
In 2021, LCWA secured two seats in the Legislative Council (Upper House). The following year LCVIC also secured two seats in the Legislative Council. In 2023, LCNSW secured another seat in the Legislative Council.
At this year’s federal election Legalise Cannabis Australia ran candidates in 42 House of Representatives’ seats and all Senate seats (except ACT), the most candidates the party has ever run. Although the party did not secure a seat, they received about 550,000 primary votes, a ten percent increase from 2022.
So far, it’s been extremely hard to get any traction on changing the cannabis laws, even with four elected MPs. Medicinal cannabis has a lot of people thinking “it’s legal now”.
We are passionate about being allowed to grow our own and drive freely if unimpaired. We also support legalising social clubs and micro licences, to include local knowledge and experience, rather than Corporate Cannabis supplying everyone, mostly from overseas.
Big Pharma is spending more money than ever in maintaining prohibition. It seems the police never support change, except in the ACT where they now acknowledge the new cannabis laws are good.
The drug war is basically about profit; control of what medicines are allowed and those that are not. This unwinnable unending war has been going for a hundred years, but we believe the fabric it’s written on is starting to unravel as people realise the impact it’s having in our everyday lives. The propaganda and lies are increasingly exposed. Even the UN is reviewing its stance. If we want to help save the planet and its people, we believe changing minds and attitudes is critical and the plants are here to help that happen as they have been forever. The only problem is they’re illegal.
