Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol
Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | CISTA |
| Chairperson | Paul Birch[1] |
| Founded | February 2015 |
| Dissolved | November 2016 |
| Ideology | Cannabis legalisation |
| Website | |
| cista | |
Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Chairperson | Barry Brown[2] |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Ideology | Cannabis legalisation |
Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol (CISTA) was a political party in the United Kingdom, which advocated the legalisation of cannabis.
The party was launched in February 2015.[3] The party fielded candidates in the 2015 general election, campaigning for a Royal Commission to review the UK's drug laws relating to cannabis and to push the economic argument for legalisation, which it argued could generate £900 million in taxation.[4] None of the candidates won a seat.
The party was deregistered by the Electoral Commission on 3 November 2016.[5] Former members of the party from Northern Ireland registered a new party with the same initials, Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance, in February 2017 to contest the 2017 Assembly election.[2]
Electoral performance
[edit]The party contested 32 constituencies, with its largest share of the vote coming in East Londonderry with 527 (1.5%).
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethnal Green & Bow | Jonathan Dewey | 303 | 0.5 |
| Camberwell & Peckham | Alexander Robertson | 197 | 0.4 |
| Cities of London & Westminster | Edouard-Henri Desforges | 160 | 0.4 |
| Dundee, E | Lesley Parker-Hamilton | 225 | 0.5 |
| East Londonderry | Neil Paine | 527 | 1.5 |
| Eddisbury | George Antar | 301 | 0.6 |
| Esher & Walton | Matt Heenan | 396 | 0.7 |
| Glasgow, Central | James Marris | 171 | 0.4 |
| Glasgow, N | Russell Benson | 154 | 0.4 |
| Glasgow, NE | Geoff Johnson | 225 | 0.6 |
| Glasgow, NW | Chris MacKenzie | 213 | 0.5 |
| Great Yarmouth | Sam Townley | 167 | 0.4 |
| Guildford | Gerri Smyth | 196 | 0.4 |
| Hackney, S & Shoreditch | Paul Birch | 297 | 0.6 |
| Holborn & St Pancras | Shane O'Donnell | 252 | 0.5 |
| Inverclyde | Craig Hamilton | 233 | 0.5 |
| Islington, S & Finsbury | Jay Kirton | 309 | 0.7 |
| Kensington | Tony Auguste | 211 | 0.6 |
| Leeds, W | Matthew West | 217 | 0.6 |
| North Down | Glenn Donnelly | 338 | 0.9 |
| Paisley & Renfrewshire, N | Andy Doyle | 202 | 0.4 |
| Rutherglen & Hamilton, W | Yvonne Maclean | 336 | 0.6 |
| Sheffield, SE | Jen Battersby | 207 | 0.5 |
| Stoke-on-Trent, Central | Ali Majid | 244 | 0.8 |
| Streatham | Artificial Beast | 192 | 0.4 |
| Thurrock | Jamie Barnes | 244 | 0.5 |
| Upper Bann | Martin Kelly | 460 | 1.0 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Steve Reed | 238 | 0.5 |
| Vauxhall | Louis Jensen | 164 | 0.3 |
| Wakefield | Elliot Barr | 283 | 0.7 |
| West Tyrone | Barry Brown | 528 | 1.4 |
| Woking | Declan Wade | 229 | 0.4 |
Source: BBC News Election 2015[6]
Lee Harris stood for CISTA in the 2016 London Mayoral election. He finished ninth out of twelve candidates, obtaining 20,537 first-round votes (0.8%).[7]
The party contested four of the 18 constituencies, with its largest share of the vote in any election that the party had contested coming in Newry and Armagh with 2.2% (1,032 first-preference votes).[8]
| Constituency | Candidate | First-preference votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foyle | John Lindsay | 259 | 0.7 |
| Newry and Armagh | Emmet Crossan | 1,032 | 2.2 |
| Upper Bann | Martin Kelly | 672 | 1.5 |
| West Tyrone | Barry Brown | 547 | 1.4 |
Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance
[edit]Following the de-registering of Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol in November 2016,[5] a new party bearing the same initials, Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance, was registered with the Electoral Commission in February 2017,[2] one week before the close of nominations for the snap elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The leader of this new party is Barry Brown, who was a CISTA candidate in 2016 and 2017.
Electoral performance
[edit]The party contested three of the 18 constituencies, with its largest share of the vote coming in Newry and Armagh with 704 first-preference votes (1.3%).
| Constituency | Candidate | First-preference votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foyle | John Lindsay[9] | 196 | 0.4 |
| Newry and Armagh | Emmet Crossan[10] | 704 | 1.3 |
| West Tyrone | Barry Brown[11] | 373 | 0.8 |
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Tyrone | Barry Brown | 393 | 0.9 | 7[12] |
See also
[edit]- Cannabis classification in the United Kingdom
- Cannabis in the United Kingdom
- Cannabis Law Reform
- Cannabis political parties
- Drug policy reform
- List of British politicians who have acknowledged cannabis use
- List of political parties in the United Kingdom
References
[edit]- ^ "Interview: Paul Birch, founder of UK party for a review into cannabis law". The Mancunian. 14 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ a b c "Registration - Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ Lamiat Sabin, "Cannabis party called Cista launched in UK to campaign for drug law reform ahead of elections", The Independent, 14 February 2015
- ^ "New UK political party wants to make cannabis an election issue". The Guardian. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ a b Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol [De-registered 03/11/16]. The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ^ BBC News Election 2015. Results for Bethnal Green & Bow, Camberwell & Peckham, Cities of London & Westminster, Dundee East, East Londonderry, Eddisbury, Esher & Walton, Glasgow Central, Glasgow North, Glasgow North East, Glasgow North West, Great Yarmouth, Guildford, Hackney South & Shoreditch, Holborn & St Pancras, Inverclyde, Islington South & Finsbury, Kensington, Leeds West, North Down, Paisley & Renfrewshire, N, Rutherglen & Hamilton West, Sheffield South East, Stoke-on-Trent Central, Streatham, Thurrock, Upper Bann, Vale of Glamorgan , Vauxhall, Wakefield, West Tyrone, Woking
- ^ "Politics Live: Election results coverage". BBC News. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ "NI Election 2016: Results". BBC News. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ^ Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED Foyle
- ^ Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED Newry and Armagh
- ^ Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED West Tyrone
- ^ "Election 2017: West Tyrone", BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2017
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Paul Birch, "The economic case for legalising cannabis", The Telegraph, 4 March 2015
- Election 2015: Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol Party, BBC News, 31 March 2015
- Lee Harris, the moral crusader turned cannabis activist vying to be London mayor, The Guardian, 12 March 2016