Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party

Last updated

Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party
AbbreviationLCWA
PresidentFred Mulholland
Secretary Aaron Cross
FoundedJune 2020
Ideology Legalisation of cannabis
National affiliation Legalise Cannabis Australia
Legislative Council
2 / 36
Rockingham City Council
1 / 13
Website
lcwaparty.org.au

The Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party (LCWA) is a political party registered in Western Australia. The party advocates for law reform in relation to cannabis. [1]

Contents

History

The LCWA party is the sister party of the LCQ party and affiliate of the HEMP Party and Medical Cannabis Users Association of Australia (MCUA).

Following in the success of its sister party LCQ in the 2020 Queensland state election the Party was registered by the Western Australian Electoral Commission on 29 January 2021 to contest the 2021 Western Australian state election, at which two of its candidates – Brian Walker in East Metropolitan Region and Sophia Moermond in South-West Region – were elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council.

The party proposed in June of 2022 to allow 50mg of marijuana to every West Australian, as well as the ability to grow four plants. It was rejected by then Premier Mark McGowan. [2]

Policies

The Party's policies are around the personal, medical and industrial uses of cannabis.

In particular, the Party believes:[ citation needed ]

Electoral results

The party fielded candidates for the first time in the 2021 Western Australian state election and received two seats in the Legislative Council with the fifth largest number of votes (26,818) by party behind the Nationals. The party fielded a limited number of candidates in the Legislative Assembly and received 4,996 votes.

In the 2023 Rockingham state by-election the party received its highest percentage vote in its history, reaching 6.80% of votes (1,487 votes total) beating the Greens candidate at the election, making it the 3rd most popular party at the election. [3] [4]

Controversies

One of the parties elected members, Sophia Moermond, has attained controversies for her views. She describes vaccination mandates as "medical apartheid" and denies the science behind the vaccines. She was additionally suspended from parliament for refusing to get vaccinated in 2022. [5] [6]

Moermond also gained controversy for speaking at a rally outside the Parliament of Western Australia in March 2023. Moermond's speech, later posted on her Facebook, said she was "concerned about the rejection of science for ideology" in relation to transgender issues. The rally was in support of, and attended by, anti-transgender activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull. [7] [8]

These comments were later disowned by the only other West Australian Legalise Cannabis MP Dr Brian Walker with him calling them transphobic and stating they were not a part of the party. The 2 Victorian Legislative Council Legalise Cannabis MPs released a joint statement stating that Moermond's comments were not representative of the broader party "or its representatives." [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party</span> New Zealand political party

Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (ALCP), also known as the Cannabis Party, is a political party in New Zealand. It is dedicated to the legalisation of cannabis for medical, recreational and industrial use. It was founded in 1996 and has stood in every general election since, but has never won representation in Parliament. Several of its members have gone on to political success after leaving the party.

Legalise Cannabis Australia, formerly the Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party, is a single-issue Australian political party. It has a number of policies that centre around the re-legalisation and regulation of cannabis for personal, medicinal and industrial uses in Australia.

Dr. Sally Elizabeth Talbot is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Council since 2005, representing the region of South West. She is aligned to the left faction; and been an active member of Emily's List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Catania</span> Australian politician (born 1977)

Vincent Alexander Catania is an Australian former politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 2008 to 2022. He was previously a member of the Legislative Council from 2005 to 2008. Catania represented the Labor Party until July 2009, when he switched to the National Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Goiran</span> Australian politician

Nicolas Pierre Goiran is an Australian politician who has been a member for the South Metropolitan Region of the Western Australian Legislative Council (MLC), the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, since 22 May 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis political parties</span> Political parties advocating cannabis legalization

Cannabis political parties are generally single-issue parties that exist to oppose the laws against cannabis.

Amber-Jade Sanderson is an Australian Labor Party politician who is the member for Morley in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of Western Australia. Since 21 December 2021, she has been Minister for Health and Minister for Mental health. From 19 March 2021 to 21 December 2021, she was Minister for Environment, Minister for Climate Action and Minister for Commerce. She rose to prominence when she chaired the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices. From 22 May 2013 to 5 February 2017, she was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, for the East Metropolitan Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Goodenough</span> Australian politician

Ian Reginald Goodenough is a Singaporean-born Australian politician who is the Liberal Party member for the Division of Moore in the House of Representatives, located in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Goodenough was elected to Parliament at the 2013 federal election, replacing the retiring Mal Washer. A property developer and businessman before his election, he had previously also served as a City of Wanneroo councillor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Western Australia</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Western Australia have seen significant progress since the beginning of the 21st century, with male sex acts legal since 1990 and the state parliament passing comprehensive law reforms in 2002. The state decriminalised male homosexual acts in 1990 and was the first to grant full adoption rights to LGBT couples in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daylight Saving Party</span> Political party in Australia

The Daylight Saving Party is an Australian political party in Western Australia. It was founded in September 2016 by brothers Brett and Wilson Tucker. It was registered as a political party on 29 November 2016. The party was deregistered in February 2023, but remains active.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Stonehouse</span> Australian politician

Aaron Stonehouse was an Australian politician. He was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council at the 2017 state election, as a Liberal Democratic Party member in South Metropolitan Region. His term began on 22 May 2017. He lost his seat at the WA State election on 13 March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Western Australian state election</span> State general election for Western Australia, held on 13 March 2021

The 2021 Western Australian state election was conducted on Saturday 13 March 2021 to elect members to the Parliament of Western Australia, where all 59 seats in the Legislative Assembly and all 36 seats in the Legislative Council were up for election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Gorman (politician)</span> Australian politician

Patrick Possum Gorman is an Australian politician, elected as an Australian Labor Party representative for the Division of Perth at the 2018 Perth by-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legalise Cannabis Queensland</span> Political party in Queensland, Australia

Legalise Cannabis Queensland, registered with the Electoral Commission Queensland as Legalise Cannabis Qld (Party), is a one issue political party based in Queensland, Australia. LCQ has a number of policies that centre around the personal, medical and industrial uses of cannabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jags Krishnan</span> Australian politician

Jagadish "Jags" Krishnan is an Indian-born Australian politician and general practitioner. He was elected as a Labor member for Riverton in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly at the 2021 state election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2025 Western Australian state election</span> Upcoming state general election for Western Australia

The 2025 Western Australian state election is scheduled to be held on 8 March 2025 to elect members to the Parliament of Western Australia, where all 59 seats in the Legislative Assembly and all 37 seats in the Legislative Council will be up for election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Tucker (politician)</span> Western Australian politician

Wilson Robert Tucker is an Australian politician serving in the Western Australian Legislative Council for the Mining and Pastoral region. He was elected at the 2021 Western Australian state election for the Daylight Saving Party, with 98 primary votes, or 0.18% of the vote – believed to be the lowest primary vote for any politician elected to a parliament in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Pettitt</span> Australian politician (born 1972)

Bradley William Pettitt is an Australian politician, who was Mayor of Fremantle in Western Australia from 2009 until 2021 and a Fremantle councillor from 2005 to 2009. At the 2021 state election, Pettitt was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council as the sole member of the Greens Western Australia in the state upper house.

James Hayward is an Australian former politician. Elected as a Nationals member of the Western Australian Legislative Council at the 2021 Western Australian state election, he resigned from the party on 3 December 2021 after being charged with child sex offences, and was ultimately disqualified on 28 August 2023 after being convicted. He was the first person since John Marquis Hopkins in 1910 to be removed in this way.

Sophia Moermond is an Australian politician. She was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council at the 2021 state election, representing Legalise Cannabis WA.

References

  1. "Should WA loosen its control of medicinal cannabis prescriptions? Here are the arguments". 30 December 2020.
  2. Ramsey, Michael (21 June 2022). "McGowan snuffs out WA legalised cannabis plan". WAtoday. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  3. "Legalise Cannabis Party on a high after Rocko by-election". The West Australian. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  4. West Australian Electoral Commison. "2023 Rockingham By-election Results".
  5. Zimmerman, Josh (16 February 2022). "MP Sophia Moermond warns vaccine mandates are 'medical apartheid', will end in violence". The West Australian. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  6. Kruijff, Peter de (15 February 2022). "Politician suspended from WA Parliament for not providing vaccination status". WAtoday. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  7. "Protestors outnumber supporters at Kellie-Jay Keen Perth event". OUTInPerth | LGBTQIA+ News and Culture. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  8. "Peter Foster highlights Trans Day of Visibility in WA parliament". OUTInPerth | LGBTQIA+ News and Culture. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  9. Australia, 6 News (20 March 2023). "Legalise Cannabis MPs distance themselves from Sophia Moermond over 'Let Women Speak' rally comments | 6NewsAU". 6 News Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)