Legalise Marijuana has withdrawn its application to register as a political party in Victoria after a challenge by Legalise Cannabis Victoria (LCV).
The move came after LCV campaign advisor Craig Ellis wrote to the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) objecting to the new party, arguing it was an “egregious attempt” to siphon votes away from LCV in the forthcoming state election.
He said the name “so nearly resembles” its own that it is “likely to be confused with or mistaken for that name” and that the words ‘cannabis’ and ‘marijuana’ are used interchangeably and “overwhelmingly resemble each other”.
“There is no material differentiating elements in the name Legalise Marijuana Party to Legalise Cannabis Victoria,” he wrote. “We regard the attempt to register the Legalise Marijuana Party as an egregious case of passing off designed to confuse voters to siphon votes away from Legalise Cannabis.”
This week, VEC confirmed that the new party, whose origins and policies remain shrouded in mystery, has withdrawn its application.
An application to register a party with VEC must be accompanied by a list of at least 500 members. The commission then writes to members, of which 500 must reply and confirm their membership in order for the registration to be ratified.
Among the requirements for registration is that the party “must not be the name, or confusingly similar to the name, of another registered political party”.
