Here’s their newsletter and in answer to their question about facebook / meta, it is obvious that the anti-democratic dystopian nature of these tech companies is becoming ever more evident and damned be those who don’t fit their narrative.
Don’t worry when they can cash in $$$ they’ll be only to happy to accomodate the cannabis party, if of course the party is happy to pay for information provision on their platform.
Ok enough of my commentary here’s the newsletter and their thoughts..and as an aside great work by whoever is managing their newsletter now.
Legalise Cannabis News
Federal
Hello LCA Members,
How many generations might it take for the stigma of being a cannabis user to fade out of sight? Quite a few, it seems. The HEMP Embassy’s Facebook site was taken down recently and it’s been impossible to have a sane conversation with Meta about why. The Legalise Cannabis Party cannot advertise on Facebook or Instagram, while all other political parties can. Our ads and pages are banned. Any mention of the word cannabis raises red flags like we’re in China.
What’s with this huge American company not letting us use the word cannabis when the plant is legal in more than half that country now? We’re reportedly the fastest growing political party in Australia with four MP’s elected and we can’t promote ourselves in the Federal Election or raise donations through the giant Meta networks. It’s outrageous. We just want to be treated like everyone else, but us cannabis users have been saying that for a long time!
A federal election comes round every three years and it’s nearly upon us, at last. We have our seven Senate Lead Candidates lined up for each state and a number of lower house runners also approved. How many we run depends on how much money we have and right now it’s tight. Many members have donated and we say a huge thank you to them. It costs $2,000 for every candidate we run, upper or lower house, then we need to print corflutes and fliers etc, etc.
With the cost of living a favourite subject for the upcoming election, how good would it be if we could grow our own medicine, for free, legally? The RDT driving laws need to change urgently too, and there is a little light at the end of the tunnel on that issue, so fingers crossed and watch this space.
Read below about our Lead Senate Candidates and do please think about putting some time aside for handing out How-to-Vote cards at the pre-poll in your area and on election day. Best wishes to everyone and looking forward to voting this year. Imagine if we could put a senator in Canberra, it’s quite possible this time.
Any donations, at all, will make a difference and be greatly appreciated, so, if you can, please click here to donate to our Federal campaign.
Michael Balderstone
President
Legalise Cannabis Australia
2025 Federal Election Senate Candidates
We are pleased to announce our Candidates for South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania!
South Australia
Dianah Walter believes in acting with compassion. She is a staunch advocate for universal human rights, civil liberties, privacy, personal freedom and a society that values tolerance over discrimination—and so do we.
As a consumer of medicinal cannabis and a passionate patient advocate, Dianah knows the time to legislate and regulate adult personal cannabis use is now.
No stranger to public service, community engagement, politics and advocacy, she is diligent, dependable and known for her respectful, evidence-based and pragmatic approach to cannabis and industrial hemp law reform.
Can you imagine a government that embraces its citizens rather than placing handcuffs on their wrists for choosing cannabis; drug-driving law reform that prioritises safety over punishment, testing for impairment rather than mere presence; and, road safety laws amended to allow a defence for unimpaired medicinal cannabis users? Dianah can.
Northern Territory
Lance Lawrence has spent a lifetime championing the cause of cannabis, earning himself a legendary reputation in the NT as a skilled horseman and bush poet. In the most recent election, Lance ran as a senate candidate for Legalise Cannabis, pulling an impressive 6.2% of the vote—the highest of a senate candidate for the Party.
His connection to cannabis runs deep, discovering its health benefits in his youth and advocating for its decriminalisation for over 40 years. Lance has twice served time in jail for cannabis. “I still haven’t figured out who my victims were”, he quips.
Beyond cannabis, he’s passionate about other issues, including self-sufficient agriculture for Indigenous communities and reforming school curriculums. These days, Lance relies on cannabis more than ever to manage chronic physical pain—what he calls “horse damage”. He continues to fight for decriminalisation.
Tasmania
Matt Owen has put his hand up for the Party in the past four elections for Tasmania and is well versed in representing cannabis to the people. In 2013 Matt stood for the Party in his first campaign, and followed this up by running again in 2016, 2019 and 2022 and has spoken publicly across Tasmania at conferences on the subject of the legalisation of medical cannabis.
Matt has been employed as a Disability Support Worker for fourteen years. With a long history involving cannabis, Matt began meeting people who were involved with compassionate supply around 2010. He perfected his methods of extraction, to create a range of different cannabis oils, and began teaching other people how to do so, safely.
Matt believes that cannabis should be legalised to remove it from the black market and enable sales to be monitored, quality control to be enforced, and cannabis to be sold at fair prices, thus ensuring black market trade is made undesirable.
Victoria – Werribee By-Election
Legalise Cannabis Victoria are delighted to announce their candidate for the upcoming Werribee by-election, Xavier Menta.
Xavier grew up in Avondale Heights and studied Sports Science at Victoria University, making him a son of the west. Over the years, he has balanced playing sport and coaching, with his work as a horticulturist.
Xavier will continue the fight to legalise cannabis! You can follow Xavier’s campaign by liking his Facebook page.
Legalise Cannabis Party calls out Meta’s hypocrisy on free speech
Legalise Cannabis Australia senate candidates have accused Meta of hypocrisy for the continuous censorship of their Party on its platforms. Meta routinely shadow bans the Legalise Cannabis Party’s posts and pages, drastically reducing the visibility and reach of the Party and its candidates’ political free speech.
Victorian Senate candidate Fiona Patten said she was outraged by the hypocrisy. “It’s extremely hypocritical”, Patten said. “It’s outrageous Meta is interfering with Australia’s democratic process by effectively silencing a registered Australian political party and elected members of Parliament”.
“Cannabis is legal in much of the United States. So why a US company would censor us seems farcical, and that Meta has now decided to allow a free-for-all on mis- and disinformation on its platforms takes that hypocrisy to absurd new levels. Australians have an implied right to political free speech according to our High Court and the Legalise Cannabis Party’s is being stepped on by a foreign corporation”.
Meta caused significant public backlash and concern in Australia recently when it halted programs it claimed were designed to limit the spread of mis- and disinformation on its popular social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, creating a speech free-for-all, and yet the Legalise Cannabis Party continues to face harsh censorship, according to Patten.
Meta’s ‘shadow bans’ of Legalise Cannabis pages and advertising drastically reduce the reach to a handful of social media users.
The Legalise Cannabis Party has engaged in a running legal battle for months with Facebook’s parent company to resolve the issue, enlisting the assistance of the Victorian Parliament where it has two elected members and yet the matter remains unresolved, as an Australian federal election looms.
Meta has continually stalled on the issue, either failing to respond to official parliamentary requests or deliberately or accidentally referencing incorrect material, according to Patten.
Legalise Cannabis’ senate candidate for Queensland, Belinda Jones, said the continued censorship will damage the Party’s ability to compete fairly when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese finally calls a federal election.
“Meta once again talks the talk but can’t walk the walk on freedom of speech. They have the gall to be the self-appointed arbiters of freedom of speech but they’ll censor a Legalise Cannabis Party post and remove it quicker than you can say ‘Legalise Cannabis’”, Jones said.
“If Meta was a true believer in freedom of speech then they wouldn’t be so afraid of it”.
Western Australia
—STATE ELECTION ~ 8 MARCH 2025—
POLITICS IN THE PUB
Dr Brian Walker will be in Bunbury with the State Campaign Team on Friday the 7th of February. If you’re around, you’re invited to join them at Politics in the Pub for a chat on all things cannabis in the west!
Where: Lost Bills, Backyard, 41 Victoria Street, Bunbury
When: 6.30pm to 8.30pm (approx.)
Western Australia, show your support for the LCWA—all while enjoying great tunes and delicious food!
Live Music & DJs will keep the vibe going all night, with dancers popping up to entertain throughout the evening
Meet the Candidates and get to know the LCWA team, hear about their vision and ask any burning questions about their campaign
Hemp & Merch Stall with hemp products to browse, learn about their benefits and pick up some campaign merchandise
Family-Friendly with activities like face painting and some surprises yet be announced
Food & Drinks will be able to be purchased from pizza and burger outlets on-site or bring a picnic. Local venues are gearing up for the night with potential special deals!
Transport & Parking is limited, so why not leave the car at home—walk or cyce! Car-pooling is encouraged. If over 200 tickets are sold, a free shuttle from town will be provided.
Tickets are $10 each (to cover costs) so grab yours here!
Campaigns
Sign the Petition Truth in Political Advertising Laws Before the Next Election
Australia Institute research shows almost nine in ten (87%) Australians want Parliament to pass truth in political advertising laws. A clear majority, 72%, agree they are concerned about lies and misinformation that circulated on social media during the most recent referendum campaign.
Whether it is an election or a referendum, voters should go to the polls armed with the facts. It is perfectly legal to lie in a political advertisement and it shouldn’t be. South Australia has had truth in political advertising laws since the 1980s and the Australian Capital Territory recently legislated similar laws.
‘Regulate It’ Campaign
The campaign, by the Penington Institute, asks the Victorian community to ‘Take the cannabis test’—a five-question online quiz designed to encourage the community to think about how cannabis can be safely regulated.
Around the World with Cannabis
Africa/Asia — Australasia/Oceania — Europe — The Americas
Legalise Cannabis WA Announces First 10 Assembly Candidates for State Election
Election Program: SPD Wants Cannabis Legalisation In Line With European Law (Germany)
We Looked At 54 Medicinal Cannabis Websites To See If They Followed The Rules. Here’s What We Found (Australia)
What to Expect for Global Cannabis Law Reform in 2025
Analysis: Employees No More Likely To Consume Cannabis During Work Hours Following Legalisation (Canada)
Defending The Role Of Cannabis As A Public And Community Good: The Call To Action In 2025 (Australia)
Australian Medical Cannabis Patients Face Ongoing Product Shortages
Report Shows Lack Of Attention For Growers Challenges In Dutch Coffeeshop Experiment
NSW Labor Is Continuing to Refuse Major Drug Law Reform Despite Election Promises
India’s Textile Sector Eyes South Korean Ties For Hemp Innovation, Sustainable Growth
Cannabis Surges as America’s Preferred Buzz: A Cultural Shift Unfolds
Study: Patients Less Likely To Have Suicidal Thoughts Following Medical Cannabis Use
Giorgia Meloni Cracks Down on Mussolini’s Crop: Hemp (Italy)
Morocco Produced 4,000 Tons of Legal Cannabis in 2024
To Cope With Dementia, Seniors Are Turning to Cannabis (USA)
Analysis: Over 35,000 Scientific Papers Published About Cannabis During the Past Decade
Contact Your Legalise Cannabis MPs
If you have an issue in your State, don’t hesitate to contact the office of your Legalise Cannabis parliamentarian in New South Wales, Victoria or Western Australia from early February 2025, when the various parliaments return.
Jeremy Buckingham MLC
Legalise Cannabis New South Wales
NSW Parliament House
6 Macquarie Street
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9230 2652
Jeremy.buckingham@parliament.
https://www.
David Ettershank MP
Member for Western Metropolitan Region
Legalise Cannabis Victoria
Suite 101, 19 Lacy Street
Braybrook VIC 3019
(03) 9317 5900
https://davidettershank.com.
david.ettershank@parliament.
Rachel Payne MP
Member for South-Eastern Metropolitan Region
Legalise Cannabis Victoria
384a Nepean Highway
Chelsea Vic 3196
(03) 9651 8972
https://rachelpayne.com.au/
[email protected].
Legalise Cannabis Victoria YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@
Dr Brian Walker MLC
Member for the East Metropolitan Region
Legalise Cannabis WA
2 Parliament Place
West Perth WA 6005
(08) 9226 3550
0416 882 279
www.BrianWalkerMLC.com.au
[email protected]
Dr Brian Walker YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@
