# Cannabis Law Reform

Cannabis Law Reform (CLEAR), formerly the Legalise Cannabis Alliance, is a United Kingdom lobby group which campaigns to end the prohibition of cannabis. The group was founded in 1997 and reformed as CLEAR in 2011. It campaigned in a number of elections until it was statutorily de-registered by the Electoral Commission in November 2013.

## History
### Legalise Cannabis Alliance

The Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) campaigned for the legalisation of cannabis for all purposes, including medicinal use, as biomass, hemp-based products, and recreational drug use. They fielded candidates in elections to the House of Commons and local government.
The party had origins in a pressure group formed in Norwich. It was registered as a political party in March 1999, after Howard Marks had stood as a Legalise Cannabis candidate in four different constituencies at the 1997 general election: Norwich North, Norwich South, Southampton Test and Neath.
The party used a Cannabis leaf image as its emblem and Cannabis : legalise and utilise served as its election manifesto.
The first official LCA candidate in a parliamentary election was former mayor of Carlisle Colin Paisley in the November 1999 by election in the Kensington and Chelsea constituency. He took 141 (0.7%) of the votes. The second was Derrick Large in the May 2000 Romsey byelection, who took 417 (1.1%) of the votes.
In local elections in 2000, the party stood five candidates in Norwich and one in Peterborough, and the party stood frequently in local elections.
In the 2005 general election the LCA stood 18 candidates in 21 constituencies. This was eight more than in the 2001 general election, but included only six that had been contested in that previous election. In all these six constituencies the LCA suffered a fall in its share of the vote, and the average share across 21 constituencies was well down from that across the previous 13. Their best results were in Orkney and Shetland, Worthing East and Shoreham and Leigh. The LCA also stood in seven Welsh constituencies. As well as calling for the legalisation of cannabis, the manifesto in Wales included campaigning against GM food, for lower fuel tax for haulage and transport firms, and support for recycling and renewable energy.
The party met with then Home Secretary and Norwich South MP Charles Clarke in March 2006 to put their case for the legalisation of cannabis.

### LCA election results

| Election | Constituency or constituencies | Candidate or candidates | Votes | Share (%) | Change |
| 1999 Kensington and Chelsea by-election | Kensington and Chelsea | Colin Paisley | 141 | 0.7 | N/A |
| 2000 Romsey by-election | Romsey | Derrick Large | 417 | 1.1 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Braintree | Michael Nolan | 774 | 1.5 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Calder Valley | Philip Lockwood | 672 | 1.4 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Carlisle | Colin Paisley | 554 | 1.6 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Chelmsford West | Herb Philbin | 693 | 0.9 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | East Worthing and Shoreham | Chris Baldwin | 920 | 2.1 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Edinburgh South | Margaret Hendry | 535 | 1.4 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Kingston upon Hull North | Carl Wagner | 478 | 1.7 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Milton Keynes South West | Patman Denning | 500 | 1.1 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | North East Fife | Leslie Von Goetz | 420 | 1.2 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Norwich South | Alun Buffry | 620 | 1.5 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Penrith and the Border | Mark Gibson | 870 | 2.0 | N/A |
| 2001 general election | Romsey | Derrick Large | 601 | 1.2 | +0.1 |
| 2001 general election | Workington | John Peacock | 1040 | 2.5 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Canterbury | Rocky van de Benderskum | 326 | 0.7 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Carlisle | Lezley Gibson | 343 | 1.0 | -0.6 |
| 2005 general election | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | Sid James Whitworth | 343 | 0.7 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South | Alex Daszak | 343 | 0.6 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Conwy | Tim Evans | 193 | 0.6 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | East Surrey | Winston Matthews | 410 | 0.8 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | East Worthing and Shoreham | Chris Baldwin | 677 | 1.5 | -0.6 |
| 2005 general election | Great Yarmouth | Michael Skipper | 389 | 0.9 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Kingston upon Hull East | Carl Wagner | 182 | 0.6 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Kingston upon Hull North | Carl Wagner | 179 | 0.6 | -1.1 |
| 2005 general election | Leigh | Thomas Hampson | 415 | 1.5 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Neath | Pat Tabram | 334 | 0.9 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Norwich South | Don Barnard | 219 | 0.5 | -1.0 |
| 2005 general election | Orkney and Shetland | Paul Cruickshank | 311 | 1.8 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Penrith and the Border | Mark Gibson | 549 | 1.2 | -0.8 |
| 2005 general election | South Dorset | Vic Hamilton | 282 | 0.6 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Swansea West | Steve Pank | 218 | 0.7 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Vale of Clwyd | Jeff Ditchfield | 286 | 0.9 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Workington | John Peacock | 381 | 1.0 | -1.5 |
| 2005 general election | Worthing West | Chris Baldwin | 550 | 1.2 | N/A |
| 2005 general election | Ynys Mon | Tim Evans | 232 | 0.7 | N/A |
| 2012 Corby by-election | Corby | Peter Reynolds | 137 | 0.4 | N/A |

### CLEAR

The members of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance voted to re-register to contest elections in February 2011. Proposals for a new identity and constitution were put to a referendum of the membership and passed in separate two votes. The party re-registered with the Electoral Commission under its new name of CLEAR Cannabis Law Reform.
The party commissioned a report by the Independent Drug Monitoring Unit, published on 14 September 2011, stating that a taxed and regulated cannabis market would save the exchequer £6.7 billion.
Peter Reynolds stood as CLEAR candidate in the 2012 Corby by-election, taking 137 votes (0.38%).
The party was statutorily de-registered by the UK Electoral Commission in November 2013.
As of 2014, the party states on their website: "We are not presently registered with the Electoral Commission as we are not currently intending to contest any elections.