The Legal Marijuana Now Party is a political

third party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a Veh ...

in the United States. The party’s platform includes abolishing the

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...

and legalizing

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

and

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

. As of 2022, the party has ballot access in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. The Legal Marijuana Now Party was established in Minnesota in 1998 to oppose

marijuana prohibition The legality of cannabis for Medical cannabis, medical and Recreational drug use, recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medi ...

. In 1996, the

Grassroots Party The Grassroots Party was a political third party in the United States established in 1986 to oppose drug prohibition. The party shared many of the progressive values of the Farmer-Labor Party but with an emphasis on cannabis/hemp legalization is ...

of Minnesota split, with some former members forming the Independent Grassroots Party. By 1998, members of the Independent Grassroots Party formed the

Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now is a political third party in the U.S. state of Minnesota established in 1998 to oppose drug prohibition. Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now became a major party in Minnesota in 2018 when their candidate for State Audit ...

. In the 2010s the party began expansion attempts to other states, gaining presidential election ballot access in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

for the 2016 election by petition. The party continues expansion in the 2020s, gaining ballot access in Nebraska as the

Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW is a political third party in the U.S. state of Nebraska established in 2016 as the state affiliate of the Legal Marijuana Now Party. In 2022, Legal Marijuana NOW Party ran more candidates for Nebraska statewide offi ...

in 2021.

History

Background

The Minnesota Grassroots Party was formed in 1986 as a response to

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

War on Drugs The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...

. In 1996 the party split, with some former members forming the Independent Grassroots Party for one election cycle.

Early Minnesota party (1998–2014)

In 1998, members of the Independent Grassroots Party formed the Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now political party. The party's name, according to

Yippie The Youth International Party (YIP), whose members were commonly called Yippies, was an American youth-oriented radical and countercultural revolutionary offshoot of the free speech and anti-war movements of the late 1960s. It was founded on D ...

Oliver Steinberg Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * '' Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver ...

, a Grassroots Party founder, is attributed Dan Vacek saying "call it the Legal Marijuana Now Party and then every vote we get will be a referendum. Every vote we get will be indisputable evidence that there’s a voter that wants legal marijuana."

Expansion to other states

Nebraska expansion

The Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party petitioned to be recognized as a major political party. To make the ballot, Legal Marijuana NOW Party needed valid signatures equal to at least one-percent of the total votes cast for governor in 2014, or 5,397 signatures statewide. In July, 2016, volunteers turned in 9,000 signatures to the

Nebraska Secretary of State The secretary of state of Nebraska is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Nebraska. In Nebraska, the secretary of state is elected for a four-year term. Vacancies are filled by appointment by the governor of Nebraska. The c ...

. However, the Secretary of State said that half of the signatures were invalid, verifying only 4,353 signatures and falling short of the 5,397 needed. After failing to make it onto Nebraska ballots in 2016, the party began circulating petitions for 2020 ballot access for a Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party in September, 2016. The party planned to collect 15,000 signatures for their second attempt at gaining ballot access.

State party activity

Minnesota

In 2014, Dan Vacek ran for

Minnesota Attorney General The attorney general of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. Thirty individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Keith Ellison, a DFLer. Electi ...

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 nominated candidates by petition to appear on the ballot for the November 6, 2018 election. Their candidate for

State Auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...

, Michael Ford, received 5.3% of the vote qualifying the party to be an official major party in the state. This gave Legal Marijuana Now candidates ballot access without having to petition. In 2020, the Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now candidate for

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

received 190,154 votes, more than any other such third party candidate in the U.S. During the 2020 election campaign,

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

leaders said that the Legal Marijuana Now Party made it harder for Democratic candidates to win in Minnesota. A '' St. Cloud Times'' analysis of votes cast in the 2020 general election in Minnesota found that Legal Marijuana Now candidates might have helped DFL candidates in swing districts, by pulling a larger number of votes from

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidates.

Nebraska

On April 21, 2021, Legal Marijuana NOW gained official recognition as a state political party in Nebraska, earning the party ballot access for their candidates, and allowing Legal Marijuana NOW Party to register voters. Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party ran more candidates for statewide offices, in 2022, than the

Nebraska Democratic Party The Nebraska Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Nebraska. Over 700 Democrats are elected across the state of Nebraska. Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and also serves as the Midwest C ...

recruited. Larry Bolinger was nominated by Legal Marijuana NOW to run for

Nebraska Attorney General The Nebraska Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Nebraska. List of attorneys general ;Parties Notes ReferencesAG Office document(cached) External links Nebraska Attorney Generalofficial ...

in 2022. Bolinger, who entered public work by serving a term on the Alliance Planning Commission, focused on legalization of marijuana and expanding

drug court Drug courts are judicially supervised court dockets that provide a sentencing alternative of treatment combined with supervision for people living with serious substance use. Drug courts are problem-solving courts that take a public health appro ...

U.S. presidential candidates

In 2016, Legal Marijuana Now placed their presidential candidates, Dan Vacek and

Mark Elworth Mark Gerald Elworth Jr. (born August 6, 1976) is an American freelance musician, businessman, cannabis rights activist, perennial candidate for public office, and rockhound. Elworth was the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of Nebraska in ...

, on the ballot in two states, Iowa and Minnesota. And as a write-in candidate nationwide. Rudy Reyes was nominated by the Legal Marijuana Now Party, in 2020, to run for

Vice-president of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice pr ...

, but the campaign was postponed until 2024.

Electoral history

Minnesota 1998—2016 federal and statewide office electoral history

Minnesota 2018—2022 federal and statewide office electoral history

Nebraska federal and statewide office electoral history

2016 Presidential election

Platform

The Legal Marijuana Now Party's platform centers around

marijuana legalization The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...

, including

legalization. The party has advocated legalizing the home cultivation of marijuana and expunging past cannabis convictions. It has also advocated broader anti-

drug prohibition The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...

policies including abolishing the

and banning employee drug testing. The party defines its platform as the

United States Bill of Rights The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed following the often bitter 1787–88 debate over the ratification of the Constitution and written to address the objections rais ...

in its constitution.

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 June.

State and local chapters

References

External links

*Legal Marijuana Now Party (United States)
facebook.com/LMN.USA

instagram.com/legalmarijuananow

r/LegalMarijuanaNow

twitter.com/MarijuanaNowUSA
*State branches **''Iowa Legal Marijuana Now Party'' *
facebook.com/LMN.Iowa
**''Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party'' *** *
facebook.com/LMN.Minnesota
**''Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party'' *
facebook.com/MJPNE
**''New Jersey Legalize Marijuana Party'' *
facebook.com/NJLMP420
**''Vermont Marijuana Party'' *
Official website
{{United States political parties 1998 establishments in the United States Cannabis law reform organizations based in the United States Cannabis political parties of the United States Drug policy organizations based in the United States Single-issue political parties Political parties established in 1998 Political parties in the United States Progressive parties in the United States Social democratic parties in the United States