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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]
Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | LCWA |
| President | Fred Mulholland |
| Secretary | Aaron Cross |
| Founded | June 2020 |
| Ideology | Legalisation of cannabis |
| National affiliation | Legalise Cannabis Australia |
| Legislative Council | 1 / 36
|
| Rockingham City Council | 1 / 13
|
| Website | |
| www | |
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]
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The party's policies are around the personal, medical and industrial uses of cannabis.
In particular, the party believes:[citation needed]
- That government should legalise cannabis and introduce regulations around its supply and consumption
- That a hemp and cannabis industry should be developed and encouraged
- That indigenous participation in the industry should be encouraged and subsidised
- That access to medicinal cannabis should be easier and low cost
- That cheap testing of cannabis products by labs and scientists be facilitated
- That criminal convictions for possession of cannabis should be expunged
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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]
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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]
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