Cannabis Law Reform Cannabis Law Reform | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Peter Reynolds |
| Ideology | Legalisation of cannabis Drug policy reform |
| Colours | Green |
| Website | |
| http://clear-uk.org | |
Cannabis Law Reform (CLEAR), formerly theLegalise Cannabis Alliance, is a United Kingdom lobby group which campaigns to end theprohibition ofcannabis. The group was founded in 1997 and reformed as CLEAR in 2011. It campaigned in a number of elections until it was statutorily de-registered by theElectoral Commission in November 2013.
The Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) campaigned for thelegalisation of cannabis for all purposes, includingmedicinal use, asbiomass,hemp-based products, andrecreational drug use. They fielded candidates in elections to theHouse of Commons andlocal government.
The party had origins in a pressure group formed inNorwich. It was registered as a political party in March 1999,[1] afterHoward Marks had stood as a Legalise Cannabis candidate in four differentconstituencies at the1997 general election:[2]Norwich North,Norwich South,Southampton Test andNeath.
The party used aCannabis leaf image as its emblem andCannabis : legalise and utilise[3] served as its election manifesto.
The first official LCA candidate in a parliamentary election was former mayor ofCarlisle Colin Paisley in theNovember 1999 by election in theKensington and Chelsea constituency. He took 141 (0.7%) of the votes.[4] The second was Derrick Large in the May 2000Romseybyelection, who took 417 (1.1%) of the votes.[2]
Inlocal elections in 2000, the party stood five candidates in Norwich and one in Peterborough,[2] and the party stood frequently in local elections.[5]
In the2005 general election the LCA stood 18 candidates in 21 constituencies.[2][6] This was eight more than in the 2001 general election, but included only six that had been contested in that previous election. In all these six 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. Their best results were inOrkney and Shetland,Worthing East and Shoreham andLeigh. The LCA also stood in seven Welsh constituencies. As well as calling for the legalisation of cannabis, the manifesto in Wales included campaigning against GM food, for lower fuel tax for haulage and transport firms, and support for recycling and renewable energy.[7]
The party met with thenHome Secretary andNorwich South MPCharles Clarke in March 2006 to put their case for the legalisation of cannabis.[8]
| Election | Constituency or constituencies | Candidate or candidates | Votes | Share (%) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Kensington and Chelsea by-election | Kensington and Chelsea | Colin Paisley | 141 | 0.7 | N/A |
| 2000 Romsey by-election | Romsey | Derrick Large | 417 | 1.1 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Braintree | Michael Nolan | 774 | 1.5 | N/A |
| Calder Valley | Philip Lockwood | 672 | 1.4 | N/A | |
| Carlisle | Colin Paisley | 554 | 1.6 | N/A | |
| Chelmsford West | Herb Philbin | 693 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| East Worthing and Shoreham | Chris Baldwin | 920 | 2.1 | N/A | |
| Edinburgh South | Margaret Hendry | 535 | 1.4 | N/A | |
| Kingston upon Hull North | Carl Wagner | 478 | 1.7 | N/A | |
| Milton Keynes South West | Patman Denning | 500 | 1.1 | N/A | |
| North East Fife | Leslie Von Goetz | 420 | 1.2 | N/A | |
| Norwich South | Alun Buffry | 620 | 1.5 | N/A | |
| Penrith and the Border | Mark Gibson | 870 | 2.0 | N/A | |
| Romsey | Derrick Large | 601 | 1.2 | +0.1 | |
| Workington | John Peacock | 1040 | 2.5 | N/A | |
| 2005 general election | 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 | 343 | 0.7 | N/A | |
| Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South | Alex Daszak | 343 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| Conwy | Tim Evans[9] | 193 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| East Surrey | Winston Matthews | 410 | 0.8 | N/A | |
| East Worthing and Shoreham | Chris Baldwin | 677 | 1.5 | -0.6 | |
| Great Yarmouth | Michael Skipper | 389 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| Kingston upon Hull East | Carl Wagner | 182 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| Kingston upon Hull North | Carl Wagner | 179 | 0.6 | -1.1 | |
| Leigh | Thomas Hampson | 415 | 1.5 | N/A | |
| Neath | Pat Tabram[10] | 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 | |
| South Dorset | Vic Hamilton | 282[11] | 0.6 | 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 West | Chris Baldwin | 550 | 1.2 | N/A | |
| Ynys Mon | Tim Evans | 232 | 0.7 | N/A | |
| 2012 Corby by-election | Corby | Peter Reynolds | 137 | 0.4 | N/A |
The members of theLegalise Cannabis Alliance voted to re-register to contest elections in February 2011. Proposals for a new identity and constitution were put to a referendum of the membership and passed in separate two votes. The party re-registered with the Electoral Commission under its new name of CLEAR Cannabis Law Reform.[12]
The party commissioned a report by the Independent Drug Monitoring Unit, published on 14 September 2011, stating that a taxed and regulated cannabis market would save the exchequer £6.7 billion.[13]
Peter Reynolds stood as CLEAR candidate in the2012 Corby by-election, taking 137 votes (0.38%).[14]
The party was statutorily de-registered by theUK Electoral Commission in November 2013.[15]
As of 2014, the party states on their website: "We are not presently registered with the Electoral Commission as we are not currently intending to contest any elections.[16]
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