Michael George Appleby is a politician,

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

activist, and lawyer based in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand.

Background

Appleby is a

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

lawyer with a B.A. in politics and English, and an M.A. in Administrative Law, Taxation and Trusts, and Constitutional Law. He has taught law at various universities around New Zealand and Australia.

Political career

In addition to his legal career, Appleby was the leader of the

Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (ALCP), also known as the Cannabis Party, is a political party in New Zealand. It is dedicated to removing or reducing restrictions on the use of cannabis and similar substances. Party history Cannabis in New ...

(ALCP) from its foundation in 1996 until 2013. This small

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

is dedicated to the relaxation or repeal of laws against the use of cannabis and has never been represented in Parliament. In 1998 he was elected a member of the Terawhiti Licensing Trust as an ALCP candidate. Appleby has stood as his party's candidate in the electorate since its inception in 1996. His best result was in the 1999 election where he gained third place, aided by the fact that most major candidates had pulled out to support either incumbent

Richard Prebble Richard William Prebble (born 7 February 1948) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament. Initially a member of the Labour Party, he joined the newly formed ACT New Zealand party under Roger Douglas in 1996, becoming its leader from 19 ...

or challenger

Marian Hobbs Marian Leslie Hobbs (born 18 December 1947) is a New Zealand politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008. She was initially a list MP and then (from 1999) represented the electorate. She served as Minister for the Enviro ...

. He came fifth in the 2011 election. He later represented the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party in the

2013 Ikaroa-Rāwhiti by-election A by-election was held in the New Zealand electorate of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti on 29 June 2013. The seat was vacated by the death of incumbent member of parliament Parekura Horomia two months earlier, who had represented the electorate for the Labour ...

. Appleby stood unsuccessfully for the

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...

in October 2004. He ran again for the Wellington City Council in the October 2013 local government elections, where he placed ninth in the Lambton Ward and was not elected. During the

2020 New Zealand general election The 2020 New Zealand general election was held on Saturday 17 October 2020 to determine the composition of the 53rd parliament. Voters elected 120 members to the House of Representatives, 72 from single-member electorates and 48 from closed ...

, Appleby contested Wellington Central for the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party, gaining 240 votes. During the

2023 New Zealand general election The 2023 New Zealand general election to determine the composition of the 54th Parliament of New Zealand is planned to be held on 14 October 2023, after the currently elected 53rd Parliament is dissolved or expires. Voters will elect 120 memb ...

, Appleby stood as a candidate for the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party in Wellington Central. He came sixth place, gaining only 418 votes.

References

External links