Marijuana Reform Party
Encyclopedia
The Marijuana Reform Party (abbreviated MRP) is a progressive
minor political party
in the U.S. state
of New York
dedicated to the legalization
of cannabis
. Founded in 1997, the Marijuana Reform Party ran a candidate for Governor of New York and other statewide offices in 1998 and 2002.
Finding that the ability of the Marijuana Reform Party to submit petition
s containing enough signatures to run candidates in statewide elections demonstrated that it enjoyed a modicum of support in the New York State electorate, in 2004 a federal appeals court
ordered the New York state board of elections to recognize the Marijuana Reform Party, allow voters to enroll in it, and to tabulate and make available lists of voters enrolled in the party.
The Marijuana Reform Party is one of several minor parties that fulfill a role almost unique to New York State politics. New York law allows electoral fusion
— a candidate can be the nominee of multiple parties and aggregate the votes received on all the different ballot lines. Several other states allow fusion, but only in New York is it commonly practiced. In fact, since each party is listed with its own line on New York ballots, multiple nominations mean that a candidate's name can be listed several times on the ballot.
of trying to have him removed 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 signatures required for a slot on the 2002 gubernatorial ballot
. After both parties failed to obtain enough signatures to gain a place on local and statewide ballots, Leighton stated that he had "no plans to try again next time."
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
minor political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
dedicated to the legalization
Cannabis rescheduling in the United States
In the United States, all preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes are currently classified under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the most tightly restricted category reserved for drugs which have "no currently accepted...
of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
. Founded in 1997, the Marijuana Reform Party ran a candidate for Governor of New York and other statewide offices in 1998 and 2002.
Finding that the ability of the Marijuana Reform Party to submit petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
s containing enough signatures to run candidates in statewide elections demonstrated that it enjoyed a modicum of support in the New York State electorate, in 2004 a federal appeals court
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
ordered the New York state board of elections to recognize the Marijuana Reform Party, allow voters to enroll in it, and to tabulate and make available lists of voters enrolled in the party.
The Marijuana Reform Party is one of several minor parties that fulfill a role almost unique to New York State politics. New York law allows electoral fusion
Electoral fusion
Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...
— a candidate can be the nominee of multiple parties and aggregate the votes received on all the different ballot lines. Several other states allow fusion, but only in New York is it commonly practiced. In fact, since each party is listed with its own line on New York ballots, multiple nominations mean that a candidate's name can be listed several times on the ballot.
Competition with the Green Party
In 1998, gubernatorial candidate Tom Leighton accused the Green Party of New YorkGreen Party of New York
The Green Party of New York is a ballot-qualified political party in New York, which was founded in 1992. It is a part of the national Green Party movement...
of trying to have him removed from the November ballot
New York gubernatorial election, 1998
The New York gubernatorial election of 1998 was an election for the state governorship held on November 3, 1998. Governor George Pataki, the Republican incumbent, was re-elected with 54% of the vote.-Statewide Results:...
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 signatures required for a slot on the 2002 gubernatorial ballot
New York gubernatorial election, 2002
The New York gubernatorial election of 2002 was an election for the state governorship held on November 5, 2002. Governor George Pataki, the two-term Republican incumbent, was re-elected with 49% of the vote, defeating both the Democratic nominee, State Comptroller Carl McCall and Independence...
. After both parties failed to obtain enough signatures to gain a place on local and statewide ballots, Leighton stated that he had "no plans to try again next time."
Gubernatorial tickets
- 1998 – Thomas K. Leighton and Jeffrey C. Wright
- 2002 – Thomas K. Leighton and Thomas J. Hillgardner