The Marijuana Reform Party (abbreviated MRP) was a progressive minor

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 ideological or p ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

dedicated to the legalization of

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''. Alternative ...

. Founded in 1997, the Marijuana Reform Party ran a candidate for

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor h ...

and other statewide offices in 1998 and 2002.

Gubernatorial tickets

*1998 – Thomas K. Leighton and Jeffrey C. Wright *2002 – Thomas K. Leighton and Thomas J. Hillgardner

Election results

Results in New York City elections

Results in New York State elections

Results in federal elections

Competition with the Green Party

In 1998, gubernatorial candidate Tom Leighton accused the

Green Party of New York The Green Party of New York is the affiliate of the Green Party of the United States in the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1992 and is a part of the Green Party movement. The Party has had ballot access at various points in its histo ...

of trying to have him removed several times from the November ballot by "challenging the validity of his petition signatures". The Board of Elections rejected the claim lodged by Richard Hirsh of the Green Party. Both parties, which appeal to liberal voters, competed for 50,000 votes required for an automatic ballot line on future ballots. After both parties failed to obtain enough votes to gain a place on local and statewide ballots, Leighton stated that he had "no plans to try again next time."

References

{{NewYorkPoliticalParties 1997 in cannabis Cannabis political parties of the United States Political parties established in 1997 Political parties disestablished in 2004 Regional and state political parties in New York (state)