Legal Marijuana Now Party
Legal Marijuana Now is a political third party in the United States established in 1998 to oppose drug prohibition. The party shares many of the progressive values of the Farmer-Labor Party but with an emphasis on marijuana/hemp legalization issues.
The Legal Marijuana Now Party is an offshoot of the Grassroots Party, and the organization traces their roots to the Youth International Party of the 1960s.
Legal Marijuana Now is active in the U.S. states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
A primary goal of the Legal Marijuana Now Party, aside from getting pro-cannabis candidates into office, is to increase voter turnout in elections.
Legal Marijuana Now is a social democratic party that is anti-war, pro-labor and supports the rights of all minority groups. The Legal Marijuana Now Party promotes wise environmental stewardship, and denounces corporate personhood.
Platform
United States Bill of Rights
The permanent platform of the Legal Marijuana Now party is the Bill of Rights. All Legal Marijuana Now candidates would end marijuana/hemp prohibition, thus re-legalizing cannabis for all its uses.Social democracy
The Legal Marijuana Now Party is a grassroots group that derives their strength from the people. Legal Marijuana Now Party is pro-labor and anti-war. Prohibition endangers public safety by fostering corruption, curtailing civil liberties, and perpetuating racism. The Legal Marijuana Now Party believes legalization would bring more jobs and money into the economy.Ecological democracy
The hemp plant provides multiple durable goods such as rope, fabric, industrial oil, and biofuel. Cannabis itself is food and medicine.According to Mark Elworth, Jr., the Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate for vice president in 2016, "Let's let farmers produce environmentally-friendly hemp again."
Mascot
Cannabis leaf
The official mascot of the Legal Marijuana Now party is the cannabis leaf.Marvelous Cannabis Leaf is a personification of the mascot that was first drawn as part of the cartoon "Marijuana Legalization in Minnesota is Not Inevitable" on April 20, 2015, by artist and standup comedian Andy Schuler.
Panda
A panda wearing a cannabis-leaf shirt is an alternate mascot of the Legal Marijuana Now Party.Logo
The party logo consists of a raised fist, superimposed with the cannabis leaf mascot and the name of the party, Legal Marijuana Now.Colors
Legal Marijuana Now Party official colors are the Rastafari colors, green, gold, and red, and sometimes black. The colors are from the flag of Ethiopia and are also the colors of the Youth International Party flag.Alternate colors for the Legal Marijuana Now Party are a rainbow flag, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, representing inclusiveness.
And alternate Legal Marijuana Now Party colors are red, white, and blue, representing the flag of the United States.
Banner
The official banner is the name of the party in white lettering, on an emerald green background. The letter 'O' in the word 'Now' on the banner is interwoven with a cannabis leaf.Party Song
Go Duba Gong by The Syndicated Mickey Moore Variety Show has become the Legal Marijuana Now Party anthem. The Legal Marijuana Now Party has been authorized to use “The Dooby Song” for party activities and for broadcast in media as a sound logo. Multiple pro-legalization candidates have used “The Dooby Song” in their campaigns for elected office.Name
The name of the party is from the Yippie chant, "What do we want?" "Legal marijuana." "When do we want it?" "Now!"The name Legal Marijuana Now was chosen so that the message is clear and every vote would be counted as an unmistakable vote to legalize Marijuana.
Ideology
The Legal Marijuana Now Party pledge
- Legalize homegrown cannabis
- Erase past marijuana convictions
- Ban employment drug testing
- Abolish the Drug Enforcement Administration
Philosophy of the Legal Marijuana Now Party
In a speech to the Saint Paul branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in October 2014, Legal Marijuana Now candidate for Attorney General of Minnesota, Dan Vacek, said, "Like alcohol prohibition, drug prohibition must be repealed and replaced by regulation, education, and moderation. When we take that step, we take the first step toward healing our nation."
Structure and composition
Movement
Grassroots organizations are associated with bottom-up rather than top-down decision making. The Legal Marijuana Now Party seeks to engage ordinary people in political discourse to the greatest extent possible.Leadership
All decisions on important organizational and financial subjects must be reached by a leadership Head Council, which consists of Legal Marijuana Now Party members with at least three consecutive years participation in the party and officers elected by the members at an annual convention held in January.State and local chapters
Legal Marijuana Now Party has state chapters in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. And Congressional District chapters in Saint Paul and Omaha.U.S. presidential candidates
In 2016, Legal Marijuana Now placed their presidential candidates on the ballot in two states, Iowa and Minnesota. And as a write-in candidate nationwide.In 2020, the Legal Marijuana Party initially nominated 2016 Vice Presidential candidate Mark Elsworth, but following Elsworth receiving the Democratic nomination for Representative in Nebraska's Third District when no other candidates filed, he withdrew from his position on the presidential ticket and was replaced by Rudy Reyes.
Legal Marijuana Now Party results in presidential elections
History
Early history
The Youth International Party, formed in 1967 to advance the counterculture of the 1960s, often ran candidates for public office. The Yippie flag is a five-pointed star superimposed with a cannabis leaf.The Grassroots Party was founded in Minnesota in 1986 and ran numerous candidates for state and federal offices. The party was active in Iowa, Minnesota, and Vermont. Grassroots Party ran candidates in every presidential election from 1988 to 2000.
In 1996 the Minnesota Grassroots Party split, forming the Independent Grassroots Party for one election cycle. John Birrenbach was the Independent Grassroots Presidential candidate and George McMahon was the Vice-presidential candidate. Dan Vacek was the Independent Grassroots candidate for United States Representative, District 4, in 1996.
In 1998, members of the Independent Grassroots Party formed the Legal Marijuana Now political party.
1998 election results in Minnesota
Iowa history
Iowa Legal Marijuana Now Party placed their presidential candidates on the 2016 ballot by petitioning the state. If the party receives two-percent of the vote in a statewide race they can claim minor party access in Iowa. Legal Marijuana Now Iowa is organizing a petition drive to put candidates onto the ballot in 2020.Minnesota history
According to the Legal Marijuana Now Party of Minnesota, the right to grow a garden is protected by the Minnesota Constitution.Minnesota does not allow voters to petition to put the law itself onto the ballot for a vote. The only petition the people can use in Minnesota is to nominate independent and third party candidates for office.
In 2014, Dan Vacek ran for Minnesota Attorney General as the Legal Marijuana Now candidate and got 57,604 votes, qualifying the party to be officially recognized and to receive public funding from the state.
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now held their first convention and adopted a party constitution on November 26, 2014. Founding members Oliver Steinberg, Marty Super, and Dan Vacek comprised the organization's 2015 leadership council.
In 2016, Michael Ford was elected chairperson of the Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party.
The Legal Marijuana Now Party placed a candidate, Zach Phelps, on the ballot in the Minnesota State Senate District 35 Special Election, in February 2016.
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now nominated candidates by petition to appear on the ballot for the November 6, 2018 election.
The Legal Marijuana Now Party placed a candidate, John “Sparky” Birrenbach, of Pine City on the ballot in the Minnesota State Senate District 11 Special Election, in February 2019.
Results in Minnesota state elections
Results in federal elections in Minnesota
Nebraska history
The Nebraska Legal Marijuana Now Party is petitioning to be recognized as a major political party. That earns candidates inclusion in the official state voters guide. To make the ballot, Legal Marijuana Now Party must have valid signatures equal to at least one-percent of the total votes cast for governor in 2014, or 5,397 signatures statewide. The party also must have a certain number of signatures from each of the state's three congressional districts.In July, 2016, volunteers turned in 9,000 signatures to the Nebraska Secretary of State. However, the Secretary of State said that half of the signatures were invalid, falling short of the 5,397 needed.
After failing to make it onto Nebraska ballots in 2016, party organizer Mark Elworth began circulating petitions for 2020 ballot access for a Nebraska Legal Marijuana Now Party in September, 2016.
Elworth said the group will collect double the number of signatures they submitted in 2016, in order to ensure their success. As of September, 2017, Elworth told a television reporter that Legal Marijuana Now Party had gathered signatures of 10,000 registered Nebraska voters.
In 2020, Mark Elworth Jr. ran for Congress in Nebraska's Third District despite living in Omaha, which lies within the boundaries of Nebraska's Second District. Being the only person to file for the primary, Elworth was declared the winner. However, Elworth had a falling-out with Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party Jane Kleeb: Elworth claimed Kleeb refused to support Elworth's candidacy while Kleeb said Elworth failed to complete party paperwork. Elworth stated that he intended to switch parties and run as the candidate of Legal Marijuana Now Party in the district. Elworth had previously been nominated as the Legal Marijuana Now candidate for President and on March 2, 2020 Elworth announced he was stepping down from the ticket and that his Vice Presidential candidate, Rudy Reyes, would replace him.